No One Knows I'm Famous
by antilogicgirl
Summary: No one knows it, but Hinata's acutally famous. She's secretly one of the world's most popular new authors...under her penname. Too bad Neji's very perceptive. Now the trouble starts: everyone will know Hinata's famous.
1. Who Told On Me?

**A/N:** Ever wonder what it would take for Hinata to actually stop being so shy and stop stuttering? I think this is my way of doing just that.

**Warnings:**

**FL--**Foul Language (mild)

**Legal Stuffiness:** I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters therein. Kishimoto Masashi, sole proprietor.

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**No One Knows I'm Famous**

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**Chapter 1:** Who Told On Me?

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November 24, 2006

_No one knows, but I'm actually famous. I sell thousands of books, but you wouldn't know it. No one does. Now that I think about it, does anyone really know anything at all about me? Most likely, the answer would be a resounding "No!" _

_You see, when I walk down the street, people just sort of don't really see that I'm there. They'll bump into me, smack me with briefcases, backpacks, and I think someone actually tried to run over me with a baby stroller once…but it's okay. I'm famous. I'm the girl that you don't see. When I walk into a room, I just fade into the background. _

_Not too tall, not too short. Not fat, not skinny. The only time that people do notice I'm there is to make some kind of sarcastic remark about either my hair or my eyes. My hair, according to some, is the color of blueberry pie filling, and they think I dye it that way. And my eyes? They just creep people out, being white. No pupils, either. Doctors have identified my family as a genetic anomaly. We all have it, and we try to keep to ourselves. Maybe that's how I became the wallflower that I am today…who knows?_

_But, the reason why I'm writing this is because right now, I'm bored. I've been waiting for my cousin to come over and pick me up, since he claims that I have an important meeting with my father._

_Oh, that's another thing. My father. He doesn't like the fact that I write books for a living. He hates it, actually. The last three meetings I have had with him consisted mainly of me doodling in a little notebook while Neji stood next to the window of the fortieth floor and father just blustered on about how I needed to be sensible and work for the family company like Neji and Hanabi do. In the end, I just made an excuse and said I would think about it._

_Yeah…I'll think about it…right before I tell him no._

_But you know, I never really do. Maybe I'm just passive-aggressive? Actually, there's no "maybe" about it. I'm completely passive-aggressive. When things get me angry, I never lash out at anyone. Everything gets bottled up inside me until I can get to a notebook, or my computer. Then, I take whoever it is that made me that way, and think of some way to take my revenge in print._

A few examples of published revenge-taking might be helpful. Once, when my father decided that I needed to go to a high-school dance like other "normal" seventeen-year-old girls, he actually had the gall to set me up on a blind date with someone. It turned out that the guy was six years older than me, and we just ended up sitting at a table in the back of the room the entire night while he griped about his classes in University. I wanted to hang myself. When I got home, I started my first novel. I'll be the first to admit that it was rough, but the publishers liked the raw emotion and anger that the main character had, so it went into print after only six rounds of edits.

_Oh…I just heard the doorbell. I'll have to finish this later._

* * *

Hinata's jaw hurt from clenching. "I don't _need_ an agent, father." One thing she would heartily _love_ to know was how on earth her father found out that she was, in fact, Hester Aldridge. Ms. Aldridge was Hinata's penname, and on the dust jacket, she was a middle-aged woman from Britain with a bun and half-moon glasses, rather than a twenty-two year old woman from Japan with navy-blue hair and eyes so light most people asked if she was blind. No one was _supposed_ to know. But, here she was.

The leather conference chair swiveled around, her father's white eyes staring blankly back at her over steepled fingers. "Hinata, be reasonable. Neji is quite capable—"

Small hands slapped down onto the black lacquered tabletop, levering Hinata to her feet. She was through with being passive. "You know, I think I can see through all of your little games, father. This is just another way to control my life, isn't it?" From the time she was three, she always seemed to be doing the wrong thing. Nothing she had ever done or accomplished ever made her father happy. He was constantly trying to make her better. She wasn't a damned robot that you could just tune up! For God's sake, Hinata was a human being, and she was not going to change because he thought she had to!

Hiashi's mouth opened to speak, but Neji silenced him. "Hiashi-sama, may I speak with her in private?" Hinata had to fight to keep her eyes from widening. Neji never took the time to look at her, let alone speak with her in private. Even when he had come to pick her up, he had kept his eyes glued to anything other than her. The last time Hinata had looked in a mirror, she wasn't repulsive to lay eyes on, so it couldn't be that. What could make her so unworthy of people's attention?

During her self-deprecating thought process, she had failed to notice that her father had indeed left the room. That was why when a hand was placed on her shoulder, she jumped, and slammed her knee into the underside of the conference table. "Owwwww…" she groaned as her hand went down to massage the hurt, and her eyes glared balefully up at her cousin.

Her cousin…her _perfect_ cousin. He never did anything wrong. Neji was perfect. Neji was a genius. Just like Hanabi was a genius. Neji was perfect. Hanabi was perfect. Hiashi was perfect. And Hinata? She was just the blight on the family name. The less-than-exceptional girl who wasn't even worthy of anyone's eye-line, let alone their consideration.

"Hinata, sit down before you hurt yourself." That order was accompanied by him shoving her into the chair she had been sitting in a moment earlier. Hinata pulled up her pant leg and glared at the bruise that had already begun to form, right over her patella. She sighed, and then turned her ineffectual glare onto Neji again. He, in turn, looked away. She hated the fact that he never looked her in the eye. "I don't want to do this either." That surprised her.

"Oh, really?" It was all she could think to say.

"Yes, really." He seemed to be studying the cloud patterns in the eastern sky.

"Why not?" Hinata asked, still rubbing absently at her bruise. Neji shifted in his seat before he leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling, but he didn't answer right away. Hinata was sure that there was something in her morning tea, because she was feeling like she wanted to bite someone's head off. She was never like this! Nothing had _ever _made her lash out! "Am I not worthy of your time, O, Great One? That is the only explanation I can think of. You won't even _look_ at me!"

Neji's face made a flinching motion, but he still didn't look at her.

"What _is_ that? What the hell did I _ever_ do to you that you can't even force yourself to look at me? Stop sighing like that, Neji, and just tell me why. I want to know what it is that you—and everyone else in this world—seem to think is wrong with me." Hinata shoved herself back into her seat, her hair flopping into her face and crossed her arms under her breasts. Neji had his eyes shut tightly now, and he brought his hands up to rub his temples.

Still not looking at her, his eyes closed and obviously trying to stave off a headache, Neji sighed, "I don't find anything wrong with you, Hinata." He seemed to finish his little massage, and opened his eyes, finally letting them fall to rest on her face. "And the reason I don't want to be your agent has nothing to do with you being unworthy of my time or not. The fact is that I have no experience. I would not be of service to you. But as things stand, both you and I have little choice."

She stared blankly at Neji. "You always have a choice."

He didn't hear her, though, because he kept on talking, right over her (this was another thing she hated, since she was interrupted frequently, or people would just plow right over her words). "My fate seems irrevocably linked to yours, so I suggest that we just deal with it." What? What was he talking about? Fate? Irrevocable links? Was he on some kind of drug that made him wax poetic? Badly?

It was Hinata's turn to sigh, though she wanted to groan. "So what is this? You're doing this against your will?"

"And against my better judgment."

"But I don't _need_ an agent…" Hinata could feel her anger melting in the face of his stubbornness, and her ill-ease began to grow along with her tendency to just allow things to happen around her. Whatever spell she had been under, whatever had been affecting her temper was now gone.

"I don't think that's true." Hinata blinked in surprise at this, and it didn't really stop, since he kept on surprising her. "Your work is getting better with each piece you publish. Critics love you, and sales are on the rise. I have heard talk of award nominations. You will need someone to manage the business end. I might be more of a business manager in that case than an actual agent, but it doesn't really matter." Well…that answered her question as to who had told her father. It seemed that Neji was a fan. Hinata was _very_ confused. Wasn't her main market in the upper teenage range? She just blinked again at him and bumbled on.

"N-Neji…"

"What?"

"You don't have to if you don't want to." This was her last ditch attempt at getting him to give it up. And it failed.

"No, Hinata, I might not want to do this, but you need it, whether you know it or not. Whether you _like_ it or not." She sighed in resignation, and leaned back, slumping in her seat. "I expect you at my apartment no later than six thirty tomorrow night."

Again, Hinata was caught off guard. "What for?"

"A meeting. Dinner, actually." He smiled slightly, and Hinata was not a little frightened. "Wear something more appropriate."

Hinata looked down at herself. What was wrong with how she was dressed? She had on a pair of comfortable gray slacks, a black shirt, and her favorite jacket. Nothing ostentatious…not too frumpy, either. So what was his problem? Instead of being confrontational about it, she said simply, "Define 'appropriate'."

"I'll have my secretary go with you to find something." Leaning over to the middle of the table, he pressed a button on the conference phone. There was a loud buzz, then the secretary asked what she could do for him. "Tenten, can you please come in here?"

A moment later, a woman walked in looking like the very picture of "the" elegant business woman. She wore a charcoal gray pinstriped skirt, with a jacket to match, and a crisp white dress shirt underneath, along with a tasteful red tie to add a splash of color. Her dark brown hair was held back in a bun at the base of her neck, and she had very friendly eyes. Until she saw Hinata. "Tenten, I would like you to meet my cousin, Hyuuga Hinata." For a long moment, the two women simply stared at one another. Hinata in awe, and Tenten in obvious but mild disdain.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Ms. Hyuuga." Her small nod was enough, so Hinata neglected to stand. The fact that she remained seated also afforded her a little bit of an edge in the little power struggle that seemed to be going on in the room.

"Hinata will be joining me for dinner at my apartment tomorrow night. I would like it very much if you could help her find something more appropriate, and less…" Neji glanced over at Hinata, who sat up a bit straighter in her chair, "…mannish to wear. Can you handle that, Tenten?" The tall woman nodded and moved to gather Hinata up. She found herself being swept out of the room without a word from Neji. Her blood boiled. She had not been so thoroughly dismissed in close to ten years.

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Hinata pulled at the neckline of her dress. Did she _really _have to wear this? The full-length mirror revealed parts of her that never saw the light of day. How was this appropriate?

"Hinata…stop that!" Tenten slapped her hands away from the cloth she'd been tugging. "Really!" Her exasperation burst forth, and Hinata cringed. In the day and a half that she had known this woman, Hinata had discovered that Tenten was, for the most part, rather kind, and not a little witty. However, if one were to get on her bad side, she had a tendency to throw things. That, she had discovered when they had taken her dress to be tailored. The seamstress had ended up with a pincushion bounced off of her head on three separate occasions.

The dress that Tenten had picked out for her was not anything that she was used to wearing. For one thing, it was long, and formal. Another problem was that it was a few shades lighter than her hair, and a bit more on the purple side. Hinata had always hated that dusty range of purplish-blue, since she felt that it made her look like a giant bruise. Then…there was the neckline. It dipped down to show (gasp!) cleavage—though this was covered by a sheer fabric that was strewn with small dark rhinestones—which made her exceedingly uncomfortable. The back of the dress was no better. The dratted thing was backless, and the cut-out was framed in the same stuff as the neckline. To make matters worse, Tenten had also taken the liberty of finding jewelry for her. The small black pearls in the necklace were not what bothered her. What did make her nervous was that interspersed among these were several sapphires that looked to be of about a carat and a half each. She was a walking target for thieves!

"Tenten, I don't think I can wear this."

"Nonsense! You don't know what you're saying, Hinata. You look beautiful. If I was blessed with your skin, I would certainly not be hiding it under all of those _layers_ you seem to like!" Hinata blushed. No one had ever given her a compliment like that before. She wasn't ugly, and no one had ever dared to say that she was. But…it wasn't as if anyone had ever said that she was pretty, let alone beautiful. With Hinata momentarily pacified, Tenten took advantage long enough to get her into the strappy heels that went with the dress, and shove her bag at her. "Now! Let's get you downstairs. There's a car waiting."

The ride to her cousin's apartment was uneventful. Tenten had taken a cab back to her own flat, and Hinata was left to herself. For what had to be the hundredth time, she wondered why she had to sear a formal gown to a dinner with just her cousin. Then, her stomach lurched. Maybe this was some kind of trick? Were they trying to make her get into the family business again? Hinata certainly hoped not. The last attempt to do anything of the sort resulted in the poor girl passed out cold and falling off of a six-foot-high platform onto a very frail ninety-six-year-old woman. Luckily, the lady survived without serious injury. Hinata's dignity did not.

When she arrived at Neji's penthouse, she looked around doubtfully. There wasn't much noise from within. Maybe he wasn't ready? Should she leave? Hinata had already turned around and started walking back up the hallway when the door burst open. At the sound, she whirled around guiltily, prepared to face her cousin's wrath.

Instead, she was met with…someone she had never laid eyes on. The man was tall, half a head above her (even with her three-inch heels), with bright blonde hair, a nice tan, and the most brilliant blue eyes she had ever seen. He was wearing an immaculate black tuxedo, which he moved gracefully in. Hinata couldn't help the blush that sprung to life on her face. "Um…I-I—"

The man waved a hand rapidly to dismiss her nervousness, and smiled brightly. "You must be Hinata. Please, come in! We're almost ready to start…" When he ushered her into the apartment, she noticed that the place was dim. All around, there were hundreds of candles. They littered the floor in corners, covered nearly every flat surface, and hung from the wall in sconces that were filled with glass globes to refract the light into shattered patterns on the floor. The effect was stunning. And she saw, also, that there were close to thirty people in the room. Her eyes narrowed. What was going on?

"Please, come this way, Ms. Hyuuga." The man was being very formal, which she did not think suited him at all. He led her into the large living area, where there were several groups of people chatting quietly. Music played softly throughout the room, violins and a piano being piped through the place through small speakers that were cleverly hidden. The blonde man stopped and tapped a dark-haired man on the shoulder. "Hey, Uchiha…"

"What, do you want, you moro—" The dark haired man said as he turned, but stopped abruptly when he saw Hinata. Clearing his throat and surreptitiously straightening the lapels of his Armani tuxedo, he seemed to regain his dignity and calm. "That is…who is this young lady?" Hinata nearly frowned, but stopped herself. She was at a loss, since she still didn't know the name of the blonde man next to her. And what was more, she didn't really like the way this…Uchiha…was _examining_ her.

Taking on a more formal tone once again, the man said, "Uchiha Sasuke, I would like you to meet Hyuuga Hinata, the guest of honor." Leaning close to her ear, he said in a hushed tone, "Uhhh…sorry for not introducing myself before. I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Just pretend that we know each other, okay?" Hinata was confused. No…she had been confused. Now, she was utterly flabbergasted. "And smile, please." It didn't take much to smile, actually, since she was trying not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

* * *

The Uchiha raised one thin, shapely eyebrow at the…familiar way that Naruto seemed to be treating this new arrival. It wasn't often that the idiot beat him to meeting someone important. And this woman was, he thought, the most important person in the room. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Ms. Hyuuga," Sasuke said as he bowed deeply. He watched her through the hair that fell over his eyes as he did so. She seemed flustered. In fact, she was blushing quite prettily. He allowed the left corner of his mouth to curl upward in a half-smile. _Interesting girl…_

* * *

Bowing lightly so that her dress didn't reveal more of her than she would like, Hinata took a moment to look over the man before her. In a way, he was quite spectacular to look at. He had striking dark eyes, skin that was nearly as pale as hers, but seemed a bit less translucent, and finely chiseled features. But, this was all spoiled by the way he held himself. In contrast to Naruto's easy manner (with the exception of the false formality he was using at the moment), he seemed to be trying very hard to stay within the confines of a rigidly arrogant exterior. Hinata wasn't at all certain that she liked the man.

"Hinata, Sasuke is the editor in charge of five or six of the better suspense novelists that your publisher deals with." Naruto jabbed a thumb at the taller man, "He's an uptight bastard, just so you know." Sasuke seemed rather offended, and squared his shoulders against the insult. He was obviously not used to keeping his apparently sharp tongue in check. "Hehe. But…I guess he would _have_ to be. Some of those guys can try to get a bit out of hand. Me, I _like_ being a children's book editor. The people are so much nicer."

Hinata smiled. That was something she could understand. She never really had much contact with her editor. He was pretty lazy. Though she had looked around for a moment, she didn't see him. Then, something that Sasuke said caught her ear. "Then why are you switching?"

When Hinata looked at Naruto again, he smiled sheepishly. "Well…you see, I was asked to. There are some pretty important people in the publishing house that want me handling some more mature material. That's why they gave me the job of editing Hinata's new stuff." If she had not been taught to do nothing of the sort, Hinata would have gaped at him. For once, she thought her father would have been proud of how she kept her face studiously straight.

Sasuke snorted. "Well. We'll see if you can read the big words now, won't we?"

Before she could help herself, Hinata's eyes narrowed. No, she couldn't say that she liked Uchiha Sasuke _at all_. He seemed to take pleasure in belittling Naruto, who was a very nice man. She coughed lightly, and said, "Excuse me. You wouldn't happen to know where my cousin Neji is, would you, Naruto?"

A broad smile appeared on his face again, and Hinata couldn't help but return it. "Of course. Last I saw him, he was on the terrace. Let's go and see if he's still there." He took Hinata's arm, and gently tugged her toward the sliding glass doors. "Later, Sasuke." When they were well away from the man, Naruto seemed to sag in on himself. He looked at her apologetically. "Sorry…he's not really a people person." Hinata nodded.

"I see."

When the doors to the wide terrace opened, Hinata was met with a rush of cold air. She shivered, and hugged herself, wishing for her old gray jacket. Before they had taken three steps toward where Neji stood looking out over the city, she felt something being draped over her shoulders. Looking down, Hinata saw a black jacket. Naruto's voice came softly near her ear. "We can't have you freezing, now, can we?" Hinata smiled. If he was going to be her editor, she thought that she could certainly get used to it.

Shikamaru had been lazy, barely there, and about as far from chivalrous as a taxi driver. Naruto seemed to be the very image of a perfect gentleman.

* * *

Upon hearing footsteps approaching, Neji turned. He found Uzumaki Naruto standing before him with Hinata, who wore the jacket of his suit. Neji really did feel a bit happy at seeing Hinata smile. It was so seldom that she actually did. Most of the time, she was either lost in thought, or frowning. Maybe Hanabi's idea to have him work with Hinata was a good one after all…

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"So, what do you think of her?" The tall man asked, his silvery hair falling into his left eye. He scratched his cheek. Sasuke cocked his head to one side.

He pursed his lips for a moment, thinking. "She's…interesting." His old mentor grunted, obviously unsatisfied with his answer. Sasuke's eyes rolled before he elaborated. "It isn't often that I meet someone who seems to be so genuine, Kakashi." Dark eyes watched every move that the woman made through the glass doors. She seemed to be talking with Hyuuga Neji, her cousin. Sasuke's eyes caught her body language, which told him that she was not at all comfortable around the elder Hyuuga. After a moment, he was sure that she edged sideways toward Naruto. The blonde, in turn, made a motion toward the indoors, and after a curt nod from the host, they all re-entered the penthouse.

Kakashi's elbow connected lightly with his. "You're going to try something, aren't you, kid?"

"Don't call me a _kid_, Kakashi. You know how much I hate it."

Smiling innocently, the elder man said, "Oh, but Sasuke, you look so adorable when you pout…I can't pass up the opportunity to see you look like you're five years old again." It took everything in his power not to simply haul back and deck Kakashi for that. Really, his self-restraint had come a long way for him to have held back. "You still didn't answer me."

Turning his eyes away from Hinata, who had just handed Naruto's jacket back to him, he glared up into Kakashi's oddly mismatched eyes. "That," he ground out, "is none of your damned business."

Blinking slowly, Kakashi let his smile fade. "You need more anger management classes."

"That may very well be," Sasuke said, smirking triumphantly, "but you can't make me take them anymore." With that, he walked away. The old man could really get on his last nerve whenever he wanted. That was to be expected, really, since he had practically been raised by the guy. Kakashi knew every button, and six different ways to push them. Sasuke moved to the wet bar. He needed a drink.

* * *

November 27, 2006

_I am so very tired. And I don't even know why I'm writing this again. Hope it doesn't turn into a daily gripe session…_

_But anyway. I had such a long day! First, I had to go with Tenten to get a pedicure and a manicure (can you see my eyes rolling?). That took a couple of hours. Then, she insisted that I have a facial. I don't understand how women do that! I mean, you get an entire LAYER of your face scraped off! Once I was done with that, I was only allowed to have a salad for lunch. If Tenten is going to be my dietician, I'll waste away to nothing, I swear._

_After that, I was left to myself until Tenten came back to "beautify" me. That was a horror in itself, of course._

_The so-called dinner turned out to be a meet-and-greet for all of the people at the publishing house. There were several very nice people there. One was a very strange man named Jiraiya, though I think he might have been a bit too friendly, if you get my drift…and then there's my new editor. He's really sweet, and an absolute gentleman! I could get used to working with someone like him. One of the other editors was looking at me like I was an insect, though. I really did feel like an ant under the magnifying glass, just before the mean little kid burns it to death with the sun. Lucky for me, Neji doesn't seem to like that guy, so he steered me away from him for most of the night, and the only other time I ran into him was on my way to the bathroom._

_He was way too polite, which made me think he was up to something. That didn't make sense, of course. How could he be up to something? And for that matter, what could he be up to? We just met! I don't like the way he looks at me. It's really like he's trying to look through me or something. _

_Okay. That's it for tonight from the Peanut Gallery. Whatever._

* * *

Neji leaned back against the door. All of the guests had gone. There were only three people in the apartment, now: Uzumaki Naruto, Jiraiya, and himself. The old man leaned against the wet bar, sipping at his final cup of sake for the evening, while Naruto was putting out candles with his fingers. "You know," the old pervert mused, "she's quite pretty." His already flushed cheeks brightened momentarily as his thoughts undoubtedly turned to less than wholesome contemplation of Hinata' physical form. Neji wanted to hurl something at him, or at least castrate him. But was that the way you treated the head of a publishing house? No, he supposed it wasn't, especially when his only client worked for the man.

Before he could make any kind of reprimand, Naruto's voice came from across the room as the sound of glass clinked, two candle-glasses having collided. "Jiraiya…keep your mind out of the gutter for _two seconds_, will you?" The blonde editor growled, his back stiffening as he refused to look at the drunk at the bar. Neji smiled. At least _someone_ had morals. "Whether she's pretty or not has no bearing on the current situation."

A low grunt, followed by a snort came from Jiraiya, who slapped his white china cup down onto the bar. "Actually, it has _everything_ to do with it. I want the world to see that pretty face."

Neji's eyes widened painfully. "Jiraiya…sir…I do _not_ believe that it would be prudent to do anything of the sort…she's agonizingly shy." He hated admitting it, but Hinata had even been timid at the small gathering here tonight, so it was difficult to ignore.

Jiraiya straightened to his full height (all six feet, eight inches of him) and looked down with all the seriousness of a well-respected publisher, "Hyuuga, I hope that you don't misunderstand. I do not want to cause her pain. But she is the best thing to happen to young adult literature since J.K. Rowling. I will not allow the greatest asset Konoha Publishing has to be kept in the dark."

It took a lot of self-control for Neji to keep himself from wringing the old fart's neck. "But—"

"Jiraiya," Naruto was suddenly standing next to Neji. His voice was steely. "I want your word that you'll give me a little time to break her out of that shell she's in." When Neji turned to see him, Naruto was looking up at the older man with a challenging glance, one thin blonde eyebrow raised. Jiraiya studied the young man's face, searching for his reasons, but apparently finding none.

A large hand came up, raking through unruly hair that had turned prematurely white. "Humph. I'll give you two months, kid." Pushing himself off of the bar, he started walking to the door. "You two had better at least get her to stop stammering in that time. Remember: two months, then there will be a press conference." Jiraiya turned back to look at both men, a smile filled with mischief spread over his lips. "A big one." The door closed behind him with a heavy thud, and Neji groaned.

Naruto's hand was on his shoulder in an instant. "Hey, don't worry. Hinata's a good kid. We'll get her to be more social." Neji had to wonder at that. How were they going to make her social? Hinata was the most nervous, shy person he knew. She had been stuttering since she was five. How were they going to get her to stop in just two months?

Then, his thoughts went back to the day before. It had only taken her father's interference in her personal life to make her livid enough to stop stuttering for a time. Maybe that was the key. Trigger emotions that gave her confidence? It was obvious that anger was one. Perhaps if they tried others, it might have the same effect? For now, he supposed it would be prudent to try sticking with anger for a bit. He decided to share his theory with Naruto.

"Uzumaki, you wouldn't happen to know if Uchiha Sasuke is free for lunch tomorrow, would you?"

* * *

It was nearly eleven o'clock when Hinata heard a loud banging on her door. She opened one eye sleepily, pulling the thick coverlet back just enough to peek out. The banging continued. Groaning, she got out of bed and shoved her feet into her pale blue slippers, and tugged on her fluffy white bathrobe over Christmas-tree print pajamas. When she entered the hallway to her kitchen, she glanced in the mirror. Hinata's lips twisted into a smile. Her hair was sticking up in several different directions, and she looked very much like one of those kids who slapped gel into their hair and spiked it every which way just for effect.

"Hm…oh well." Hinata shrugged. Whoever was trying to see her was just going to have to deal with it. Her shuffling soon brought her to the door of her apartment, where she looked through the peep-hole. A gasp escaped her mouth before she could help herself. Naruto was at her door! Closing her eyes and trying to think fast, Hinata raked fingers through her hair, but grimaced when her right hand got caught in a rather large knot at the back of her head. After shaking her hand free of the mess, she hesitantly opened the door and peeked out. "Ah…Naruto?"

He stared at the small crack in the door, and Hinata had to try very hard not to shut it completely. "Hinata, I'm here to pick you up. Neji's arranged a lunch…meeting…thing." Hinata squeaked. She pulled the door open and hesitated for only an instant before grabbing the front of Naruto's brown suede jacket and yanking him inside. "H-Hey!" He exclaimed as Hinata's hand took hold of him. She pulled him into the small entry hall, and shut the door, engaging all three locks. He seemed to see her for the first time now, and he stammered, "Y-You're not even dressed!"

Looking away and coloring slightly, Hinata said, "Late night…needed to sleep in…um…" Realizing suddenly that she was fidgeting with the belt of her robe, she dropped the fuzzy cord and said quietly, "I'll go and get dressed now…" As she turned slowly to go back to her bedroom, she felt a hard shove from behind. It didn't take long at all to realize that Naruto was pushing her down the hallway. "Eep!" was all she could get out.

"Hehe. You go and grab a shower. I'll get some clothes out for you." Naruto ignored her protests, since they were barely intelligible, and just kept on pushing. Hinata eventually gave up, allowing him to escort her to the bathroom. As she turned on the shower, she heard him rifling through her closet.

In a quiet but disbelieving voice, she said, "Neji…what have you gotten me into?" Naruto was nice, yes, but he seemed to have a bit more spunk than Hinata could easily handle. Once she had hung up her robe on the peg behind the door, she worked on the mess that was her hair before throwing her pajamas into the hamper and getting into the shower.

After about ten minutes in the steamy water, Hinata was glad that she hadn't simply gotten dressed. The water really did wonders for helping her wake up. When she emerged from the bathroom, swathed in her robe (just in case), she found clothing laid out on her bed, which was made. Her eyebrows rose. What was he? Superman? Hinata hardly ever had the willpower to make her bed, since no one ever saw it but her.

Turning her attention to the clothes he had picked, she thought that his taste was strange. She never would have paired those things together. He'd found a pale gray long-sleeved t-shirt, her black leather jacket, and the knee-high black leather boots that she'd never really had the courage to wear. With these, he had taken out a knee-length, dark blue denim skirt, and her white crocheted scarf and beret. Skeptical, but not wanting to hurt his feelings, she hurriedly got dressed. By the time she had everything but the jacket, hat and scarf on, her hair had already dried into a tangled mess again. A few moments of attacking it with a brush surely tamed it, though, and it just barely peeked out of her hat when she jammed the fluffy white thing down over her ears.

It didn't look bad, but Hinata frowned anyway. She didn't look like herself.

"Are you done yet?" Naruto yelled from the living room.

"C-Coming!" she called, and grabbed her favorite black messenger bag to get out of the door before Neji skinned her alive for being late.

* * *

Sasuke leaned back in his chair. Why had he agreed to this meeting? He had three chapters to edit today. Naruto had called him at six in the morning, waking him from much-needed sleep. Now, he sat waiting for the blonde numbskull, the uptight bastard, and Hinata, wondering if three people could stand one person up. A small bell tinkled at the door, alerting him to the arrival of a new patron. Dark eyes flicked to the entrance, and he saw the tall, pale form of Hyuuga Neji, who was already making his way over to the table where Sasuke sat.

Raising one eyebrow, Sasuke smirked. "Where's your date, Hyuuga?"

Pale eyes narrowing in obvious distaste, Neji glared. "My _cousin_ will be along in about twenty minutes. She's not a morning person." Sasuke snorted. Few authors were. He wondered for a long moment…what was it that Hinata wrote again? Mystery? Science fiction?

The conversation was minimal for the entire fifteen minutes before Hinata arrived…with Naruto by her side. It seemed that he could not be around her with out chaperones. That thought was not altogether pleasant. If he wanted to get to know someone, he just did, and there was nothing that anyone could do to stand in his way. But…this was a special case. Hyuuga Hinata was not only the most profitable asset that the entire Konoha Publishing house had (even out-selling the founder's porn novels), but she was also the heiress to controlling stock in six major corporations. He couldn't simply shove aside the guard dogs that Jiraiya and her family had set.

That's what Naruto and Neji were, in truth. There was nothing wrong with Nara Shikamaru's editing. The only reason that Naruto had been put on this job—Sasuke's theory, anyway—was that he was much more aggressive than the lazy man. Neji…well, he was sure that Neji had some kind of uber-big-brother complex when it came to Hinata. So if Sasuke was going to get closer to her—and he would—then he was going to have to get around the mine field set up for him.

These thoughts were interrupted by Naruto clapping him on the back. "Oi, Sasuke! You look kinda spaced out today! Are you hung over?" A muscle under Sasuke's eye twitched. What was it about this little twit that got his goat so much? Was it because Naruto was loud? No, he could deal with loud. Was it because he was obnoxious? That couldn't be it either, since he had a cousin who was even worse, and Sasuke had found ways of dealing with her, too. No, it was neither of those things. It was because of those rare moments of crystal-clear _perceptiveness­_ the Naruto seemed to have, combined with his loud, hyperactivity that drove Sasuke to distraction.

"Shut up, idiot." He grumped.

Naruto laughed lightly (_tee-hee!_) and pulled out Hinata's chair for her. "It's okay, jerk…you should think about how bad off Jiraiya will be when he wakes up." Sasuke clamped his lips together. There was a laugh trying to claw its way out of his throat, and he'd be damned if he'd let it out. Naruto always did that! One minute, he would be angry with the little bungler, and the next, he would wish that the idiot would shut his mouth because he could split his sides from holding in the laughter that always threatened to drive him insane. Come to think of it, there were few moments when he was in Naruto's presence that he wasn't nearly driven to the brink of his own sanity.

When Hinata sat, she draped her hat, scarf, and jacket over the back of her chair before doing the same with the scuffed black messenger bag she carried. Raising her eyes in a somewhat hesitant fashion, she said in a quiet tone, "Good afternoon Neji, Mr. Uchiha." She was being carefully polite, he knew, and it was a far cry from the near indignation he had heard threading itself through her voice the previous night. Somehow, he wondered if this shyness was what she was truly like.

"Hinata," Neji began as he made a show of looking over the menu, "Good to see you up at this early hour." His voice was sly, and the young woman nearly started as she sipped her water.

"N-Neji…did you just make a _joke?_"

A tiny smile formed on Neji's face. Sasuke was feeling left out. This feeling grew when Naruto poked Hinata in the ribs, eliciting a startled little squeak. "Hinataaaaa…show Neji what you brought!" Both Sasuke and Neji frowned. What was the blond nut-ball talking about? Hinata's lips curled into a little grin, and she reached for the beat up bag she'd had slung over her shoulder. From within, she produced a sheaf of paper and handed it to her cousin.

Her smile widened when Neji took the pages, and began to scan them eagerly. "That's Chapter 1." She said simply.

As Neji looked over the sheets he held, Sasuke fought to keep his eyes off of them. Instead, he asked, "What's this?" as he pointed to the apparent first chapter of Hinata's newest book.

Her smile faltered when she looked at him. "It's…a…"

"Well?" he asked, his voice rising expectantly.

Hinata sat straighter in her chair, and he thought he heard cloth rustling. What was she doing? When she spoke again, she had no hesitation, no stammer. "It's a story about a boy that grew up as a servant in the house of one of the great Samurai. He comes of age, and decides to leave his comfortable life in the stables, and become a soldier. Things do not work out as he planned."

Sasuke blinked. "Is that all?" That was the strangest summary he had ever heard. She gave away so little of the plot that he couldn't help but want to know more. And that, he supposed, was what she had intended.

Her glance turned into a blank stare. "That's all you need to know."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Was she _playing_ with him? He hoped that she wasn't. People that played with him, toyed with his mind…they never ended up happy. Just then, the waiter arrived to take their orders. He watched Hinata covertly, trying to figure her out, but to no avail. She would be a tough one to crack, he decided.

But tough or not, he would get the job done. Uchiha Sasuke was always up for a challenge.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you liked the first chapter...it's actually easy to write Hinata like this. 


	2. Getting To Know You…

**A/N: **Okay Guys. Here's Chapter 2. The title should tell you everything you need to know before reading it. At least, from Hinata's perspective. I hope you like it. Just a couple of little warnings...I don't want anyone screaming that Hinata's out of character. We established in Chapter 1 that anger makes her stammer go away, so no complaints about that, okay? Also, if you don't like Sasuke, you'll like him even less now, since he gets really annoying in this chapter. Anyway, on with the show.

**Warnings:**

**FL--**Foul Language (mild)

**Legal Stuffiness:** I do not own Naruto or any of the characters therein. Kishimoto Masashi, sole proprietor. I do not own Twelfth Night, the Clown, or Cezario Sebastian. They are the property of those wonderful individuals that have the rights to Shakespeare's plays.

* * *

**Chapter 2:** Getting To Know You…And Hating Every Minute of It

* * *

Naruto was starting to wonder if this was such a good idea. He could tell that Hinata didn't like Sasuke. In fact, it looked as if his very presence made her angry. When he voiced this opinion to Neji, the older man merely nodded and smiled, saying that Hinata needed to learn to express herself more freely, and if getting mad at Sasuke did the trick, then where was the harm in that? Now, he sat on a bench in the park, watching Hinata feeding pigeons and trying to ignore the sinking feeling he had in his stomach. 

If he knew Sasuke–and he did, much better than he let on–the guy was up to something. He could tell by the way he looked at her, and by the way that when Neji said something, whatever that comment was went meticulously ignored. He had even gone so far as to prod Hinata into an argument over certain grammatical structures. Naruto's eyes rolled when he remembered lunch a few hours earlier.

_"What the hell is that?" Sasuke pointed at a sentence on the sixth page of Hinata's manuscript. "'I could care less?' Do all of your characters talk like they're retarded?" Naruto nearly choked on his tuna roll. He kicked Sasuke under the table, but the question remained as if he had not felt it._

_Hinata's right eyebrow rose, arching in irritation. "That," she said, grabbing the paper from him, "is how that particular character speaks. He has a very distinctive speech pattern." Hinata set the paper down on the table, only to have it picked up again by Sasuke, who wasn't letting up._

_"You mean he's a moron."_

_Next to him, Hinata was twisting her napkin under the tablecloth. She had been doing that since he asked what her story was about. When he glanced down at her hands, he saw that the skin on her fingers was red and getting raw. He stilled her hands and took her napkin from her gently. Hinata looked surprised, but seemed to calm down significantly at the mild, wordless censure._

If he made her that angry, enough where she would wring a cloth napkin to the point where she hurt herself…what happened when she finally let her anger loose? Naruto didn't want to think about that. It was always the quiet, unassuming people that snapped and started picking people off with semi-automatic machine guns. He didn't think she would kill anybody, but it was becoming quite clear that if there was ever a confrontation between she and Sasuke, the Uchiha could possibly meet his match. While Sasuke might be the perfect blend of poetry and meanness, Hinata had righteous indignation and a very vivid imagination on her side.

The situation had him in mind of seeing the two of them slugging it out in a no-holds-barred professional wrestling match. He groaned at the thought, since wrestlers wore spandex, and the thought of Sasuke in tights really made him want to vomit. The fact that the bastard was still sitting there and watching as Hinata gracefully doled out birdseed to the hundreds of pigeons surrounding her…that just gave him the creeps.

"What are you still doing here, Sasuke?" He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the knees of his olive-green corduroy pants, and turned his head to the right, studying Sasuke, and the way he didn't take his eyes off of the woman in the grass.

"Watching the birds," he said in an undertone, smiling very slightly.

"Oh, really?" Naruto said mockingly, "I don't think that _particular_ bird thinks very highly of you." This comment brought out a small frown, but nothing more. "Sasuke, you're starting to piss _me_ off. Why don't you go home?"

Sasuke just sat there, watching as birds fluttered around Hinata. Naruto could hear her murmuring to them. The pale man shook black hair from before his eyes and asked, "Do you think she's always like that?"

Confused, Naruto said in a questioning tone, "Like what?"

The bastard shifted on the bench, his slate gray pants sliding. "Shy. Hesitating all of the time. And she stutters." This was said with distaste. It was obvious that Sasuke had come to some conclusion, and Naruto was pretty sure that he would be scared to think of what it was.

"What're you talking about? Hinata's the most honest person I think I've met in the last five years."

Sasuke scratched at his arm through his wool coat sleeve. "Really, now…what do you think she would say if I asked her what she thinks of you?"

Naruto wondered where he was going with this. Sasuke's brain was definitely on a different level than Naruto's, but he had never thought himself stupid. However, the train of thought that Sasuke was now on was unclear to him. He shrugged. "I dunno."

"Would she say that you're sweet? How about handsome? Maybe she'd even say that you're smart…" Sasuke wasn't really looking at Hinata now. He was staring at nothing, and almost talking to himself more than he was Naruto. Finally, he said very quietly, and obviously unaware that Naruto could hear him, "What would she say about me?" Naruto frowned. Since when had the Almighty Bastard cared about what someone thought of him? He sure as hell didn't care what Naruto, Jiraiya, or anyone else he'd know for years said or thought. Why would he even give a shit about Hinata's opinion?

Unpleasant thoughts started to surface in Naruto's mind. Sasuke _was_ up to something. Naruto knew that as surely as he knew that he was wearing his favorite boxer shorts. The question was what his motives were. He couldn't see Sasuke actually wanting to be friends with her. Sasuke had fans and enemies, not friends. The thought of his interest being in any way romantic was actually repulsive. Hinata didn't need a sadistic bastard for a boyfriend, so Naruto would do everything in his power to keep Sasuke away from her in that way. What the hell was the jerk up to?

* * *

_The boy stood tall over his prisoner. His eyes green flashed with rage, and the blade came down to rest in the hollow of the pale man's throat. "Say it."_

_The captive man smirked, even with a katana at his throat. His arrogance seemed to know no bounds. "Never," he said lowly, his lips curling up further into a smile that made Hito's stomach clench in fear that he didn't let show in his eyes. When Hito's hands began to shake on the hilt of his sword, the daimyo began to sit up, uncaring that the point of the blade was so very close to his skin. Hito backed away, and the man stood up. "Now," dark hair blew into even blacker eyes, and over skin like delicate porcelain, "Shall we see if you can do anything with that blade, boy?"_

_The sound of metal being sliding against wood rang out in the clearing, and the daimyo smirked again as he leveled his sword at Hito. "You can drop well from trees, and you hide your presence better than most. But…I wonder." Tugging at the top of his dark purple kimono, the older man pulled it off, revealing the pristine white of his under-kimono. The dark sleeves and top of the garment hung down, hiding the obi belted at his waist._

_Hito was glad for the mask that hid his face. Otherwise, the man would know. He would know that he was afraid. More frightened now than ever before in his life, Hito's hands gripped the black-wrapped hilt of his katana until his knuckles turned a deathly white. "You did kill him…didn't you?" His voice sounded choked, and he cursed himself for showing emotion._

_The taller man's pale lips twisted into a mocking grin. "If you can scratch me, boy, I'll tell you." There was a blinding flash as the sun caught the flat of the man's blade, and Hito bit back a yelp as he jumped back to avoid the wide arc of the katana's range._

_He was on the defensive now, and he felt his back hit the enormous elm behind him. The flat of the man's sword connected with his left hand, and bone cracked. Hito could now only hold his sword with one hand as the man advanced, raining down blows on him with increasing fury, and he blocked them as best he could with only the strength of one arm. He felt the other man's blade bite his shoulder when one strike could not be completely deflected, and his face when Hito wasn't quite fast enough to avoid a strike at his mask. Finally, with one last burst of strength, the boy met the other man's sword with his own, tilting his arm slightly to that their blades slid along each other. The two katana met at their hand-guards, their faces inches apart as they struggled for leverage._

_Though at least two bones were broken in his hand, Hito's left hand reached for his tanto, ignoring pain great enough to nauseate him. Drawing the short blade so that it lay along his fore-arm, he lashed out at the older man's torso. Immediately, the daimyo jumped back, cradling the new wound on his chest. Blood stained his fingers and he cursed. "Tell me." Hito said expectantly, holding both blades ready in case of another attack._

_"No."_

_"But–"_

_"Never believe what your enemy promises, boy." Faster than Hito could see, the daimyo drew a knife from under his obi and hurled it at him. Green eyes widened in shock, then closed in acceptance. He would not be able to dodge something that fast. Hito had lived a good life. He had only one regret. That he had not avenged his best friend's death._

_A strange sound came from a few feet in front of him, and he opened his eyes, realizing at the same time that the knife had not hit home. All he saw was a broad, black-clad back. The grizzled thatch of dark brown hair that sat atop the head of this person gave him away. "Yamamoto!"_

_Half-turning, the big man gave him a wink. "Get outta here, kid. I'll take care of this bastard." Hito did what his commander said, but looked back at the daimyo._

_Black eyes followed him, promising death. Hito ran._

* * *

Hinata stretched. There was nothing like a good fight scene to get the tension out. The café around the corner from Konoha Publishing was almost empty. Most of the people just got their coffee, tea, or what-have-you and left, making the place rather dull. That's what her headphones were for. She liked the lack of distractions, but it was so quiet today that the lull itself was disturbing. Getting slowly up, Hinata saved her work before she went to the restroom, ordering another green tea on the way. It was good to have some time to herself. For the last few days, she hardly had a moment alone. And whenever she turned around, Neji and Naruto were there. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy Naruto's company, and it wasn't that Neji scared her anymore, either. It was just…she was _used_ to being alone all of the time.

The more she thought about it, the more she disliked the situation. There were several things that were bothering her, actually. The first was that it seemed like she had bodyguards, and the second was that she had been forced to be in the presence of _that man_ three times. First, it was lunch, and then the park. Hinata had to try very hard not to snatch her things away from that arrogant, egotistical, pig-headed…(jerk!)…she sighed. What had gotten into Neji? It was obvious that he didn't like Uchiha Sasuke, either. So why the lunch? Why make Naruto take him along to the park? And why, for the love of all that was sacred, did she have to go to see him in his office?

That whole pretense of discussing grammar was complete and utter garbage. It was almost like they were trying to piss her off! No…that couldn't be it. No one would be _that_ cruel.

Sasuke had ripped her chapter to shreds. Hinata had never seen so much red ink. Her grammar was not _that_ bad! To make matters worse, Naruto had stepped out just before he started tearing into her favorite part of the chapter. He thought that her style was not suited to writing such a contemplative scene. Slamming the door to the bathroom stall, Hinata stumped over to the sink to wash her hands. Who did he think he was? Last she had heard, _Naruto_ was her editor. "That's it…next time I see him, he's getting a piece of my mind." She dried her hands and balled up the paper towel, throwing it offhandedly into the wastebasket across the room with pinpoint accuracy. "And I hope he chokes on it."

"Hinata!" The far-too-perky (and probably over caffinated) girl behind the counter chirped, "Your tea's ready!" Hinata thanked her and took it to her table, where she sat down and immediately began to sip at the hot liquid. It warmed her insides. The street outside looked rather dreary, with the exception of a bank of maples that were just up the block. They were the most brilliant shade of red Hinata had ever seen. For a long moment, she wished that she had a camera. Her tea warming her, and the red of the leaves pulling her thoughts, she didn't notice a figure approaching.

The chair across from her creaked, alerting her that someone had taken the liberty of seating themselves at her table. "Hello, Hinata."

Hinata didn't restrain herself. She rolled her eyes and exhaled a long breath. "Can I help you?"

One slim, dark eyebrow rose, and a smile played over delicate–nearly effeminate, Hinata noticed–features. She also noticed that the man held a large mug of black coffee. Her nose wrinkled. He _would_ drink something bitter. "Oh, what's that tone for? And after I helped you with your grammar?"

"My manuscript looks like someone bled all over it, Uchiha. I'm not certain that you _helped_ at all." She turned her gaze back to the street. There was a man walking a Pekinese dog, which wore a bright green doggy-sweater. The little dog was stopping to sniff at every leaf, every little piece of paper on the sidewalk. Hinata smiled a little. From the corner of her eye, she saw him move. When she looked back, he had her computer in front of him, and was looking at the scene she had just written. Reaching for it, only to have the thing pulled from her hands again, she said indignantly, "_Excuse you!_ What do you think you're doing?"

A small but amused smile curled Sasuke's mouth. "Reading," he said slyly.

Hinata stood so suddenly that she nearly knocked her chair down. Taking a step closer to him so that she was looming (as well as any five foot four inch woman can) over him, she took the machine back from him. "Has anyone ever told you that you're very rude?"

To her surprise, Sasuke just rested his hand on his chin, and with a blank look said, "Yes."

Her eyes widened, and she barely kept her jaw from hanging open. "And…you don't feel the need to modify your behavior?" That blank stare continued, and Hinata delivered one that was just as void of any emotion. Sasuke simply shook his head. Internally, Hinata began screaming in frustration. She grabbed a napkin from the small stack she had taken from the dispenser at the counter and started twisting it under the table.

"It wouldn't be honest if I played nice." Sasuke sipped his coffee, and blinked slowly at her. Hinata ripped her napkin. _Damned paper-napkins…_

"No, I don't suppose that it would be." Hinata decided that it was time for her to leave. She got up from her seat and paid the girl for all of the tea she had, and then walked stiffly back to the table. Her fingers worked to round off the last bit of the scene, and then she shut down her computer. While shoving it and her small travel mouse into the backpack she carried, Hinata thought that if she had to stay around Sasuke for much longer, she would do something that she never did: she would scream at him. Slinging the bag over her shoulder and leaving her tea half-full, Hinata growled, "Have a nice afternoon, Uchiha."

The wind hit her hard in the face when she stepped outside, and she hurriedly zipped up her bulky gray jacket, pulling the hood up over her head. It was good that she lived less than three miles away. Hinata didn't think she would like it very much if she had to walk more than that. Turning down a side street, she took her usual short-cut through a wide alley. Her feet crunched on broken glass, and she looked down. It seemed that one of the windows to the bakery had been smashed in…sighing, Hinata pulled her hood further over her face. Halfway through the alley, she heard someone else walk through the glass. The footsteps sped up when she did, and Hinata's alarm rose, causing her to break into a run. Hitching up her backpack, she sped out of the alley and down the next block. The person didn't seem like they were giving up, for they were drawing closer.

Hinata's lungs began to burn, and her legs hurt so badly that she couldn't stand it. Finally, she skidded to a halt in front of a drycleaner's shop. Turning, her hood fell away from her face, revealing the fear she felt, and she found Uchiha Sasuke standing there, chest heaving, the power-cord for her computer coiled in his hand. He pointed a finger at her and gasped for breath, leaning over and putting a hand on his knee for support, "You…run…pretty fast…for…a girl…"

In a similar posture, Hinata glared at Sasuke. "What is _wrong_ with you? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She unslung her backpack from her shoulders, and set it on the ground before walking over to get her power-cord. When she had taken it from him, she muttered, "Jerk…you could have at least called out to me or something."

"Would you have stopped? Or would you have just ignored me and kept walking?" Hinata stared at him for a long moment. What kind of person did he think she was? She wasn't some stupid, mean jerk who ignored anyone they didn't feel like talking to, unlike _some_ people she could name…

She stuffed the cord in her bag, and replaced it on her shoulders. Before she turned away, Hinata said reluctantly, "Thanks for giving it back, anyway." Hinata walked slowly away, trying to get her heart to slow down.

"You're welcome," Hinata jumped, because the sound had come from right next to her ear. When she turned toward Sasuke, Hinata was clutching her chest.

"Damn it, Sasuke!"

He started chuckling, and Hinata just goggled at him, open-mouthed. "You should have seen your face, Hinata…it was _priceless_."

Finally, Hinata had enough. Her mouth closed with a click, and she just turned and started walking, completely ignoring the footsteps she heard rushing to catch up with her. She wouldn't sink to his level. Hinata was _not_ going to let him get to her. She just wasn't! After a few minutes of him walking silently beside her, and Hinata pretending that he didn't exist, Sasuke made an annoyed noise in the back of his throat. Hinata's brows drew down. What right did _he_ have to be annoyed? Twice in the same five minutes, Hinata nearly had a coronary incident, and he had the gall to act like it was peachy keen to pretend that nothing happened? Though Hinata did not usually hold grudges, she was leaning toward one at the moment.

There was that noise again! Stopping in her tracks, Hinata closed her eyes and exhaled a large breath. "What? _What is your problem?_" When she opened her eyes, she turned slightly, facing him. There was a kind of sadistic satisfaction in his eyes that she thought looked a bit scary. But, as angry as she was, she couldn't find it in herself to be truly scared. "Is there a _reason_ that you seem to be stalking me? Do you derive pleasure from making me want to strangle you?"

Leaning on a mailbox, Sasuke sighed. "No…I don't find it fun to piss you off _per se_…but I like the way you look when you're angry." Hinata started walking again. This was insane! There was some god somewhere that hated her. That's all…just some deity that had it out for her. But damn it, she never did anything wrong! There he was again, walking right next to her. This was getting old, and rather fast. It was also becoming rather dangerous. She was getting close to her apartment building, and she wasn't altogether sure she wanted him knowing where she lived.

One final time Hinata stopped; she gritted her teeth. "Look, I just want you to turn around, and go home. Okay?"

"Can't."

Deep breathes. All she had to do was take a few, and she'd be fine. Really. Forcing a smile on her face that she was sure came out looking sarcastic, Hinata said through clenched teeth, "And why is that?"

"I live–" he pointed in the direction she was headed, "–that way."

Hinata just stared for a minute, and then something in her head just snapped. She started laughing, and couldn't seem to make herself stop. Tears formed in her eyes as she walked, weaving, down the sidewalk. "Unbelievable…" she breathed, "…completely unbelievable. Someone up there hates me…"

* * *

Sasuke watched her for a moment. This had stopped being funny the second she had accused him of being a stalker. Hinata was apparently rather…off at the moment, and he was just a little worried. So that he didn't annoy her further, he followed at a safe distance, making sure that he was out of earshot. When Hinata stopped in front of a six story apartment building, Sasuke's eyebrows rose. She lived in the building next to his?

She seemed to be rifling through her pockets for her keys. Sasuke approached carefully, as if Hinata were a very skittish animal. "Hinata…are you okay?" His voice held some concern, as opposed to his usual blank, bored tone, and he hoped that she caught it. Sure, he thought it was better that she be mad at him than stutter herself into oblivion, and he did think that she looked rather fetching with her face flushed, but this was going a bit far. Did he cause her to have a psychotic break?

Her voice was utterly miserable, "I just…I can't find my keys." Sasuke could tell that she was trying not to cry, and there was just a very tiny little insignificant portion of him that felt guilty for it. Had he not been prodding her, she might not be this way.

Stepping around her, he pushed the top call button. Hinata made a choked noise. "What…what are you doing?"

"Getting the manager. He should be able to get you into your apartment, yes?" He didn't need to look at her to know that her white eyes were very wide indeed, and that she was probably fidgeting.

A voice, high-pitched and nasal (deadly combination), crackled over the small speaker. "What?"

"Hinata, come here," Sasuke said, beckoning her over. "Tell him what's going on."

"S-Sorry, Mr. Nakijima…I…l-lost my keys again…" Hinata's eyes found the ground very interesting, and she proceeded to stare at it.

There was a loud sigh over the speaker, and the man groused, "That's the third time this month, Hyuuga…"

"S-Sorry, I just–" Hinata jumped when the annoyed man cut her off, and she started twisting at the hem of her jacket.

"No more excuses, girl. You need to keep track of your things! I'm going to give you another key, but this is the last–"

Sasuke stepped up to the call-box again, interrupting the man's tirade. "No."

"What? Who the hell are you?" Nakijima's voice cracked.

"I am a friend of Hinata's. And when you come out, you will apologize." Sasuke said this as calmly as he could. This man was starting to piss him off.

"And what makes you think I'll apologize?"

"You will." That was said in a low, threatening tone. Silence was the only response. "Now, get down here before I call the city inspectors. This place has got to have at least a few code violations that need to be addressed…"

There was a loud crash, and then a few moments later a tall, thin, sour-looking fellow opened the front door. He narrowed his eyes at Sasuke, and the young man raised an eyebrow and jerked his head at Hinata, indicating that he had something that he needed to say. Now. "My apologies, Ms. Hyuuga. I'm a bit upset over various things today."

"It-It's okay, Mr. Nakijima…"

"Here's your new key. Please take care of it." Nakijima was studiously avoiding both Sasuke and Hinata's eyes. It was obvious that the building had more than a few code violations by his diffident behavior. When the manager re-entered the building, Sasuke turned to Hinata, who was staring at him.

She gazed in disbelief at him, blinking repeatedly, and then glancing down at the key in her hand. "T-Thank you…Sasuke."

Sasuke sighed. "Back to stuttering again?" He leaned on the doorframe, and smiled wryly. "Do I have to keep you angry so that I can understand you?" Hinata looked confused. He shook his head and chuckled. "I'll see you later, Hinata."

* * *

Watching Uchiha Sasuke's retreating back, Hinata was utterly confused. She didn't understand him at all. One minute, he was scaring the b-Jesus out of her, then he was making her so angry that she nearly had an aneurysm, and now this? Was he bipolar? Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw him enter the building next door to her own. That had her laughing maniacally all the way up the stairs. Someone really did hate her.

* * *

November 30

_"No, I do not know you; nor I am not sent to you by my lady, to bid you come speak with her; nor your name is not Master Cesario; nor this is not my nose neither. Nothing that is so is so."_

_--Act IV, Scene I, Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare._

_That's what I feel like right now. The weirdest thing in all of creation just happened to me just a few minutes ago. Well, there were several weird things, actually. But the strangest of all, more than being semi-stalked, scared out of my head, and pissed off past the limits of all sanity…is that Uchiha Sasuke actually did something decent. He bullied Mr. Nakijima into not only giving me a new key, but the old grump apologized, too!_

_I guess Sasuke's pretty scary…but I think that maybe Mr. Nakijima might be frightened to death of him. There are so many things wrong with this building…I know I can afford better now, but I've been here for so long that I can't imagine living anywhere else. Maybe the owner will let me spruce up the place? I mean, it could use a new coat of paint, and the windows are a bit drafty…I don't know. Maybe I should just burn the place down. It might make me feel better._

_Oh…I just had the most horrible premonition. I have an agent now (I feel like puking, can you tell?). Neji and Naruto are treating me like a five year old. Naruto even picked out my clothes for me. I haven't had anyone do that for me since I was four! I'm a big girl, and I can handle my own life. My way. But nooooo! Father had to make Neji my Lord and Master, and apparently Naruto's my watch dog._

_But where was he today? He wasn't there when Sasuke annoyed the crap out of me and stalked me! He surely wasn't there when I lost my keys. And why am I still on about this? I have my keys, and the old grouch downstairs won't yell at me anymore._

_I need a nap._

* * *

**A/N:** So...hope no one thought anyone was out of character. Also, I just wanted to say this: I am having so much fun with this story!!!! Ooo-kay. Now that that's gotten out of my system...on to the dreaded schoolwork. 


	3. Not What I Wanted For My Birthday

**A/N: **Okay you guys. Bring on the fluff! I couldn't help myself. And I have not been slacking off! looks around...paranoid I'm in the middle of final projects for the semester. Forgive me. And I'm sorry that this took a while for me to update. The upload manager hates me... ; I hope you like it!!

**Warnings:**

FL--Foul Language (mild)

**F--**Fluff (enough to choke, so be careful)

**Legal Stuffiness:** I do not own Naruto or any of the characters therein. Kishimoto Masashi, sole proprietor.

* * *

**No One Knows I'm Famous**

* * *

**Chapter 3:** Not What I Wanted For My Birthday…But I'll Take It

* * *

Neji and Tenten sat in the middle of the room, looking around. "Do you think she'll like it?" Tenten asked, biting her lip. Neji, who was leaning against her back, yanked a black bandana out of his hair, and wiped the sweat from his face.

"She had better. I don't think that I'd be pleased about going to all this trouble and not getting appreciated in some way."

Tenten grunted. "You know, there are really some times when you're a jerk, sir."

Smiling secretly to himself, Neji leaned more heavily against Tenten's back, and bent his head back so that it rested on her shoulder. He turned his head slightly so that he could look at her. "That, Madame, is what makes working for me so interesting." A heavy snort from his cushion made him smile more, baring teeth, then he uncharacteristically stuck out his tongue. "You've got paint on your face." Indeed, Tenten had a large blob of blue under her left eye, and a little patch of peach on the end of her nose.

Dark eyes rolled, catching the light, and flashing a barely reddish brown for just a moment. Tenten's fingers traced a line across Neji's cheek, and said, "You should see yourself. If only I had a camera…I could blackmail you into doing _anything_ I wanted. Purple is a good color on you, sir." Neji frowned. He had been unaware that he got anything on himself. There was a wall that was composed of a floor-to-ceiling mirror, and he picked up his head to look into it. His confusion rose when he saw nothing but his own pale skin. The light snigger behind him let him know that Tenten had been teasing him (please note: Tenten's innuendo went right over his head).

"For a woman who claims I'm a jerk," Neji swiftly got up from where he sat and took up one of the small rollers they'd used for yellow paint, "you certainly have that potential yourself." In a flash, Tenten's gray shirt had a six inch wide yellow stripe from her left shoulder to her right hip. Her mouth just fell open and she looked down at her shirt, then back up at Neji, her shocked look turning to an evil smirk.

Picking up the twelve-inch purple roller, Tenten smiled maliciously. "How do you feel about washing your hair with turpentine, _sir_?" Neji suddenly realized his mistake. He had completely forgotten that there was no such thing as having the upper hand around this woman. That was why he'd hired her. She was tough. Now, he wished she wasn't quite so…spry. He dodged one fast downward swipe of her roller, which would have caught the side of his face, but was distracted suddenly when the door opened.

"Hey you guys–"

Something wet, cold, and smelling undeniably of Behr Mystical Purple 650B-7 paint, squished into the left side of his face and into his hair. His roller fell to the canvas-covered floor, his mouth opening and closing like that of a fish, and somehow, a growl reminiscent of a panther emanated from his throat. He took a step toward Tenten, fully intent on holding her down on the floor while emptying an entire bucket of Marmalade 240B-4 over her smirking face, but a thin yet strangely strong set of arms held him back.

"Neji, that's enough." He turned to glare at Sasuke, but blinked at the image he presented. The entire right side of his head was caked in a soft sunny paint that if Neji wasn't quite mistaken, had to be Cornsilk 320A-3, a very nice pale yellow. He looked to be less than amused.

Suddenly aware of just how childish he was being, he coughed lightly and said, "Where's Naruto?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth and said, "He's checking on her. Should be back in about half an hour or so."

"Does she suspect anything?" Tenten asked in a small voice, still wary of her employer.

A snort from Sasuke didn't need the added assurance he gave it. "I should think not. As far as she knows, we're all going about our normal, everyday business. We haven't been around her to let her know that anything's going on, so she should be rather surprised when the time comes."

Neji smiled. Then, he cleared his throat heavily. "Uchiha…the paint you bought…is it–"

Sasuke looked at him blankly. "You think I would buy anything other than water-based paint? When _Naruto_ is around? That's a joke, yes?" He pointed to his head, which resembled a squashed bumblebee. "This will come out with a bit of washing in the shower. At least," he said as he left the room, "yours isn't as noticeable."

* * *

"Hinata," Naruto said as he leaned on her kitchen counter, "do you _ever_ get dressed if you stay in?"

Shoving a sheaf of messy blue hair behind her ear, Hinata shook her head. "What's the point? There's…no one around to look at me, and usually–" she shot him a look, "–there's no one to give me grief about it." Naruto laughed sheepishly. He was glad that she seemed to stammer less. Who knew that Neji's plan would work!? There was still a large amount of guilt lingering in Naruto's mind since it was Sasuke that Hinata had to deal with. He could be a real dick at times. "But d-don't worry, Naruto. I forgive you." She smiled a little as she poured the tea. Naruto scratched at the back of his neck–a habit he'd picked up from a friend of his in grade school–and caught himself. Was he really that nervous?

Hinata's hands moved gracefully, finding the honey, and silently offering it to him. He declined, thinking that the tea would be sweet enough, since it was a citrus blend. "I'm glad you don't dislike me for being around so much…"

Hinata waved her hand dismissively, but Naruto didn't miss the tiny bloom of pink in her cheeks. She really was cute. Her eyes lighted on the teapot again, apparently unable to look at him. Naruto smiled. "How's the latest chapter going?"

"It's okay…just a bit of setup, really. There will be a medium-sized battle in Chapter four, so I've got to set the board and get all of the pieces in place, if you know what I mean." Her eyes narrowed, and she tapped on the countertop with her fingers. Seemingly lost in thought, Hinata said quietly, "I need to be able to visualize it…" her eyes brightened, and she said suddenly, "Naruto, do you play chess?"

His mouth popped open, but nothing came out. After a long moment, he said, "Um…no. I never have." Hinata sagged, and then said she'd just have to call Neji over. He was a great chess player. Somehow, that didn't surprise Naruto. He was glad, however, when she decided that today, she was going to take the rest of the day off to loaf around her apartment. It wouldn't do for her to call Neji at the moment. A change of subject was in order…

"So…um…" He sipped his tea, "you wanna do something?"

Orange-scented oolong tea swirled in Hinata's cup as she turned it slightly on the countertop. "What did you have in mind?"

"Terrorizing kids at the video arcade?"

Hinata laughed, but shook her head.

"Eating hot-dogs and riding roller coasters until we puke?"

Hinata's nose wrinkled. "I have an idea. It doesn't require vomit, terror, or me getting out of my pajamas."

"And what would that be?"

Hinata left the room and a few minutes later came back with a wooden box. When she set it down and opened it, he saw that it was a small foldable chessboard. "This," Hinata said, "is what we'll do. We'll have tea, and I'll teach you to play chess."

"But–"

Hinata gave him a hard look before starting to set the board. "No buts Mister. It's good to learn something new every now and again. Right?" Her voice changed to something close to being seductive, and Naruto blinked rapidly. He couldn't remember her talking like that before. And was it just him, or was she leaning toward him? There was a kind of teasing quality about her voice that he didn't like. He sighed. She was playing with him. Now if only she didn't look quite so cute in her pajamas…

"Don't worry, Naruto. It's not that hard. I taught myself!" She was still setting up the pieces, her hands gracefully moving, and fingers daintily placing pieces on the little squares. Naruto shifted on his stool. He wasn't supposed to be staying. Sasuke wanted him back after he checked on her and made small talk for a few minutes to keep her from getting suspicious. Then again, he probably wanted to dump a bucket of paint over Naruto's head out of revenge, too…but that wouldn't happen, since they needed Naruto to stay clean so that he could continue to check on her until Thursday when she got her big surprise.

Sasuke could wait. "So, how long have you been playing?"

"Ah…I guess about five years now. Neji has been playing since he was six, and I've never managed to beat him. I'm not great with the strategy, you see." Hinata had now finished setting up the pieces. They looked to be well used, the pale wood of the 'white' pieces stained with oils from hands, and the dark wood of the 'black' pieces worn shiny from use as well. He picked up a piece that looked like a miniature castle turret, turning it over in his hands. "That one's a rook, but some people just call it a castle." He nodded, and she went on to name each of the piece types: pawn, knight, bishop, queen, and king.

"Okay. And they move differently…like this." Hinata then demonstrated the varying range of the piece types, and Naruto sat listening with rapt attention. Her explanation was quite good, and he understood everything. "Want to try?"

"Sure."

* * *

"Where the _hell_ is he?" Sasuke said, trying without success to pick at the paint that had now dried in his hair. He had to admit that he did look quite ridiculous, and it really did annoy him. He couldn't even retaliate at the time, seeing as Naruto had to stay clean! Sasuke was just thinking of various revenges for Naruto's idea of a joke when Neji popped his head into the bathroom, his face and hair still painted purple.

"Sasuke, I just called Naruto. Guess what he's doing?"

"Getting bent?"

With a tiny smile, Neji said, "No. He's being taught chess. By Hinata." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Naruto and chess…that sounded funny. His poor little brain was probably melting right now. "He's apparently doing pretty well, or at least that's what I heard Hinata say." Sasuke frowned. He could just picture it. They would be sitting across from one another at a small table, and any time Naruto would make a mistake, she would smile and laugh before correcting him gently. It wasn't a pleasant thought. Naruto was a complete moron who deserved to be treated as such by as many people as possible. His thoughts were interrupted by Neji saying, "She's a pretty patient teacher, so I don't think we need to fear for his life just yet."

Apparently, the older man had thought he was worried for Naruto's safety. True, he could be just as annoying with Hinata as he was with everyone else, but she only ever really vented her anger toward Sasuke. He wondered for a long moment why that was. Had he really been that bad? Was he really that vexing? He didn't think so, but then again, he wasn't inside her head. And for that matter, did he really care if he was the most annoying thing on Earth to her? Nope. He surely did not.

* * *

Hinata took in a long breath. She raised her arms above her head, fingers clasped tightly together. Muscles tensed and stretched as her body lengthened, reaching up toward the ceiling until only her toes touched the floor. As she released her breath, her heels slowly descended, and the rest of her body followed until she sat in a lotus position in the middle of her living room floor, staring straight ahead. It had been a good week so far. This being Thursday, Hinata worked through her yoga, wondering how long it would be before her next encounter with the two most vexing men on the planet.

Oh, that she wasn't scared of Neji anymore didn't keep her from being annoyed with him…but she could hold _that_ in. But Uchiha Sasuke was a different matter entirely. Why did he make her so angry? Well, that was simple. Hinata didn't like people who habitually laughed at the expense of others, and he did it all the_ time_, when Naruto was present. Just because one is a past-perfect dresser and beyond pretty to look at didn't give one the right to be the most arrogant, egotistical, completely pig-headed, stubborn, conceited, annoying, maddeningly irritating, narcissistic, self-absorbed, obsessive perfectionist on the planet.

Hinata smiled. She had actually come up with a decent amount of descriptors for him this time. Usually, her mind just sort of shut down in frustration after a moment or two (as it had in the café the other day), and she couldn't think about it anymore. "Ah," she sighed before pulling her legs into a wide split and leaning forward until her forehead touched the floor, "sweet progress…"

The sun's last gasps were shining through the blinds, and she finally pushed herself to her feet, looking at the clock. Her session had lasted three hours. "Progress in more ways than one," her smile widened. Last week, she had only been able to get in two and a half hours. Her eyes fell to the small table beneath the wall clock. Her telephone sat there. Next to the telephone was small white card. She didn't know what to make of it.

On the stark white background of the little white paper was dark blue print that read:

_Sunset. Outside. No pajamas. Look pretty, okay?_

---Naruto

For what had to be the hundredth time that day (since around…ten in the morning when the card arrived with her mail), she wondered what in the world he meant by sending her that. Obviously, he wanted to take her somewhere. But did she really feel like leaving her apartment? Hinata really kind of just felt like being alone. Like on most of her birthdays, she didn't really like being around others.

But, like the old nursery rhyme, Thursday's child has far to go…the buzzer made its shrill noise, and Hinata glared at the entry hall. It buzzed again and again, even though she didn't take that long to get to the call panel near the door. That would be Naruto. And he wouldn't be happy that she had not followed his instructions. "Keep your pants on…"

Pressing the button, she said, "Yes?"

"Hinata! You coming down, or what?"

"No."

"Why? Come on!"

"I said no, Naruto."

There was a heavy scuffling noise before the sound was cut off and then another voice came over the speaker.

A low, dark, and slightly threatening tone came as the other man spoke. "If you don't come down, I'll just get Nakijima to let me in."

"Sasuke? What are you doing here?" Hinata's voice betrayed the disbelief and a little of the annoyance she felt at his presence.

"Trying to get you out of this drafty old building before you go stir crazy. Now get out here."

Hinata winced. "I don't suppose that you'll just go away if I ignore you?"

Both men said in unison, "Not a chance," but Naruto added, "sweet-heart!" Which made her cringe for some unknown reason. Maybe it was the chirpy tone?

Groaning a little, Hinata said, "Fine. I'll throw some clothes on. Dress code?" she asked, and waited.

"Formal." That was Sasuke. And there was no joking in his voice.

"Damn it. Maybe I should let you come up? It'll be about twenty minutes." They agreed, and she pressed the button to open the front door. In about five minutes, they were inside her apartment and settling down on the couch. "I'll be out as soon as I can. Try not to kill each other."

"Just make it fast."

Hinata could feel a knot of tension growing in her stomach. They were in tuxedos again, this time with white ties. That wasn't formal. That was super-formal. Did she even _have_ a super-formal dress?

* * *

"So how did your _chess lesson_ go the other day?"

"Bite me, Uchiha."

"You're so witty tonight, Naruto…"

"Not that it's any of your affair, but it went rather well. I wouldn't be able to kick anyone's ass, but I understand the game." Naruto was snuggled into the corner of the couch, his jacket neatly draped over the armchair nearby. He was watching Sasuke with lidded eyes, and Sasuke didn't like it. He also seemed to be watching for Hinata.

"What," Sasuke asked, "did you do to keep her from killing you? You're so dense, I'm sure she had to jam the information into your head with a hammer."

"Shut up, jerk! I'll have you know that I'm not _that_ stu–whoa…" Sasuke watched Naruto's mouth drop open, and his gaze was fixed unblinkingly right over Sasuke's head. The dark-haired man turned to follow Naruto's eye-line, and…

"Hehe…wow…" It wasn't often that Sasuke was stunned into such a state of inarticulate stupidity, but this was one of those very few.

Hinata was just exiting the hallway. She wore a long dress of black velvet that seemed to be of only that material until she walked, when panels of bright red satin showed through in the skirt. The dress was strapless, and it contrasted starkly–but not unpleasantly–against her flawless alabaster skin. She wore a necklace of small sparkling black and red beads that formed a kind of collar around her neck and onto her chest. Somehow, he found himself on his feet. Sasuke's body moved of its own volition, and offered his arm to her. Hinata wrapped a red and black shawl around her shoulders and took it, smiling. As they neared the door, she said, "You might want to shut your mouth," and he did, with a click of teeth. Hinata laughed.

* * *

Neji's cellular phone made the most awful screech, and he flipped it open. "Yes? Good. I'll tell them." He turned and yelled, "Okay everyone! Just act natural!" There were several brays of laughter, the most noted was that of a young man with a dog, known to him as Inuzuka Kiba, a loud but brilliant young veterinarian that had known Hinata since she was five years old. His dog, a large wolfhound named Akamaru, lay idly at his feet, and gave a sharp little yip when he heard his master and best friend laugh.

The crowd, which had stopped for an instant in its milling about and talking, now resumed its activity. There were close to fifty people here, including family members, Hinata's childhood friends, and some fifteen people from the publishing house. There was a small mountain of gifts in the dining room, and Neji smiled. He truly hoped that Hinata wasn't disappointed with her birthday party.

The doorbell rang, the sound of a large bell sounding throughout the room before the soft jazz music (Hinata's favorite for relaxation) resumed its light float across the open space. He moved to the door, and opened it, finding Hinata standing arm-in-arm with Uchiha Sasuke, and looking quite amused, while the Uchiha had a look of utter consternation on his delicate features. Naruto was shoving his cell phone into his pocket and giggling. "Hello, you three. Pleasant walk?"

"It's half a block, Neji. But yes, it was." Hinata said, bowing lightly in return to the deep show of respect that he paid her. Neji exchanged pleasantries with a still-chuckling Naruto and a sullen Sasuke before taking Hinata away from the latter.

"Come on, Hinata. There's quite a crowd tonight."

"So I see…Neji…I–"

His hand came to rest on her elbow in a gesture of comfort. "Hey…don't worry. You know every last one of them, believe me." They walked down the six-meter-long entry hall, and into the main living space, where there was a large crowd, indeed. Upon their entrance, all fifty visitors turned from their conversations at once.

"Happy Birthday, Hinata!" they cried joyously, and Neji watched her gasp, blushing quite prettily. He smiled inwardly. She liked it. Tenten immediately rushed forward in a gold mandarin collared dress, and took Hinata away, but was stopped by Hinata's father.

Neji tensed. It had been a little while since the two had met, and he wasn't sure how she would react to him. The elder Hyuuga bowed deeply to his daughter and said as a good portion of the room held its breath, "Happy birthday, little one." He remained in his prostrate position, seemingly waiting for something.

"Th-Thank you, father…" Hinata said, her voice shaking just a little. She wasn't the only one stunned by Hiashi's behavior. He had never in recent–or perhaps even living–memory shown deference to any living soul, and this show of respect toward Hinata was unprecedented. Hinata's blush turned to a flush of embarrassment. "Please, father, this is not necessary–"

The man straightened to his full height, and took a deep breath. "You may not think so, but I believe that it is." He pulled a small paperback book from his pocket. Centered on the black cover was a white star, and two kanji: _Shukufuku_ (1), her first novel. Hinata's eyes widened, her breath hitching in her throat, and it was clear that she was about to cry. Neji slowly moved closer. "I have read this in past days. It is my hope that you will accept my humblest apologies for my behavior. You have a gift, Hinata, and I failed to see it."

Tears stained Hinata's face, and the crowd gasped as Hyuuga Hiashi again tried to bow. Hinata did not let him. She threw her arms around him, hugging him fiercely. Unused to such open displays of affection from his child, Hiashi took a moment to embrace Hinata, but as he did, someone began to applaud. The rest of the room followed, the sound of clapping hands and cheering, and cries of "Happy birthday!" and "_Banzai_ (2)!" rang out.

Neji smiled, happy for his cousin. She finally had gotten the one thing she always wanted from her father: respect.

* * *

"Presents!" Tenten yelled, and Hinata jumped. It wasn't often that someone just screamed right next to her ear, afterall. She was dragged to the couch, soon had a small mound of gifts to open. It took, all things considered, two hours to open all of her gifts. There were only two people that had not given her anything at the end of it all.

Neji, who stood at her side, had not, and neither had Sasuke, who was leaning against a pillar. She was just asking Tenten if she had gotten all of the names and gifts written down correctly when a pale hand appeared before her face, holding a small gift, wrapped in pale blue paper. Her eyes followed the arm up to find Neji's face, which was solemn. Hinata took the box, tearing the paper away. This revealed a small black box, and when she opened it, there was a set of keys inside.

"Keys, Neji?"

He smiled. "Yes, but you mustn't lose these."

"What are they for?"

The man backed away, and made a sweeping gesture with his arms. "This."

Hinata was confused. "This? This what?"

Naruto laughed lightly a few feet away. "The apartment, silly!"

"W-Wha…" Hinata suddenly felt a bit dizzy. It was more than she could take. All of the people, the surprises, gifts, and then this? No, there was no way she could stay conscious. In fact, Hinata simply made a sighing sound and fainted dead away.

* * *

A collective gasp was heard, and Sasuke's eyes widened painfully. It was a good thing that Hinata was seated next to Tenten. That woman seemed to have the reflexes of a cat. She caught Hinata before she fell and leaned her back against the couch back. People began to crowd around to see what was wrong. Sasuke rolled his eyes and pushed his way through, as Naruto began doing the very same thing. "Get back, morons," he growled.

People slowly backed away, but moved more quickly when Naruto's voice came louder, "Hey! Aren't you s'posed to give a passed-out person breathing room? There you go, back off!" He was making wild shooing gestures at people left and right, and it make him look like a deranged bird. Sasuke snorted. Blue eyes looked angry when they turned to him. "What's funny, you jerk? Hinata passed out!"

Ignoring Naruto's outburst in his direction, Sasuke simply stood close by while Tenten attempted to revive Hinata by dabbing her face with a damp napkin that Hanabi had provided. It was a few moments before the pale woman's eyes began fluttering open. "Hn…" she mumbled, and seemed to be on the edge of passing out again. Sasuke clapped his hands hard in front of her face, startling her awake. Immediately, she whirled in her seat and glared at him. "You…you–"

His eyebrows rose expectantly as he cut her off, "Jerk? My dear Hinata, you really must expand your vocabulary. You are an author, after all."

"I wasn't going to say that you were a jerk."

"What, then?" He fought hard to keep from smiling wickedly, and won, but just barely.

Hinata rose and walked around the couch, taking hold of his arm roughly and stalking out of the room while grumbling, "Not in front of everyone. I don't want them to hear that kind of language coming out of my mouth." His arm hurt a little where her hand was clamped down on his elbow, and he thought he might actually have a bruise tomorrow. That, and a sinking feeling in his guts, told him that he wasn't going to like what she was going to tell him. And, he heard murmuring behind him, with his name repeated over and over again. Not a good sign. The rumor mill was already churning.

He soon found himself shoved through a door, painted stark white. Once inside the room, he recognized it as the one he had painted specifically. It had turned out rather well. The walls were a deep, midnight blue, with silver stars of many sizes stenciled randomly at the very top edge. Neji had also given him free reign with the furniture, and all of it was dark leather and wood. Hinata didn't spare it a single glance.

Sasuke heard the door slam shut, and he was jerked around to face Hinata, whose face was flushed with anger. Her pale eyes were narrowed to mere slits, and her fists were balled at her sides. But when she spoke, her words came out calm. Perhaps…_too calm_. "As I was saying," Hinata stepped closer, poking him sharply in the middle of his chest. "You sir, are an egotistical, pig-headed, pompous, conceited, maddeningly irritating, obsessive perfectionist who deserves to be taken down about six and a half notches. What do you have to say to _that_?"

His mouth hung open. He just couldn't speak. No one in his entire life–no therapist, girlfriend, little old lady, or crazy author–had ever said anything like that to him. And for the very first time in his life, Uchiha Sasuke was speechless.

"Nothing to say?" Hinata asked, still livid. She took another step closer and gave his breastbone another jab. Sasuke had to look down to see her face now. "So, is this what it takes to make you shut up? Do I have to insult you? Do I?" Another step. He could smell her perfume. It smelled like lavender and a little bit of spice. From the other room, in the silence between him and the enraged woman before him, he heard the beginnings of a song. He wished that he could find his voice, because he would laugh. The song was 'Let's Call the Whole Thing Off (3)'.

During his short reverie, Hinata had apparently decided that he wasn't worth her time, or that he was too exasperating to attempt dealing with. She let out a long breath before turning away from him and heading for the door. Hinata stopped suddenly. For half a second, he wondered why, but then realized that he had taken hold of her wrist. "What?" she asked without turning.

Sasuke looked at his hand. How had it done that? He hadn't meant to stop her. Maybe…his body thought he should apologize? It was a thought. Then, another thought…perhaps a bit devious, but interesting nonetheless, entered his mind. Sasuke used his grip on Hinata's wrist to pull her and turn her at once. Her face showed her surprise, and it looked even more astonished when he took her hand and gently put a hand on her waist after placing her free hand on his elbow. Stepping lightly, Sasuke moved them in a small circuit of the room.

"What are you doing?" Hinata asked, her posture stiffening.

"Dancing."

"You dance?" Hinata was following his steps almost hesitantly, looking curiously up at him. Her anger seemed to have evaporated.

"Yes," Sasuke said, and added, "So do you, apparently."

Hinata blushed, looking away in apparent dismay. "Father…he made me learn."

Releasing her waist, he stepped back and pulled Hinata's hand into the air to give her a little spin. Her dress flared, flashing red in the dim light. Sasuke pulled her back, his hand resting at her waist again, warm velvet under his fingers. "You don't like to dance?"

"It's okay," she said, "I just don't do it very often. Don't get the chance." Her brows furrowed.

For the third time that night, his body moved of its own accord. This time, it was his mouth and his vocal cords. "Would you, if you got the chance?" she shrugged at his question. "Like…Saturday?" Something in his head was screaming. What was that? Oh, yes. It was his Naruto-alarm. He had just done the unthinkable, and Naruto would flip his lid if he found out. Which he would, undoubtedly.

"E-Excuse…me?" Hinata's face had begun to change color. It went from its usual pale alabaster to a dusty rose color in a very few seconds.

He smiled. Cocking an eyebrow, he said, "I suppose I should say it more clearly?" Hinata blinked up at him, still blushing. Their dancing stilled and he leaned forward until he was at eye level with her. "I just asked you, Ms. Hyuuga, if you would go out with me. On Saturday."

"I–"

Hinata was interrupted by a loud scuffling, and a choked, muffled yell. Both Sasuke and Hinata looked at the door. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that there was someone eavesdropping. Apparently, Hinata had the same idea. Her jaw was clenched. Nudging her a little he smirked a little and jerked his head toward the door. She nodded slowly, understanding his silent meaning.

A bit louder than before, but not so much that it would be very noticeable, Hinata said (and he could tell she was trying not to laugh, though to her credit, it didn't come through in her voice) "Oh…I don't know, Sasuke. What would my Father say?"

"Why should I care?" Sasuke said, stifling a laugh of his own. Time to start laying it on thick. "I'm not asking _him_ on a date. The only person I care about right now is you, Hinata." She was biting her lips to keep from giggling now, because they heard a bump and a scrape coming from the hallway. "What do you say…darling?" Oh, he barely avoided a snort, just then.

Schooling her voice to sound sufficiently melodramatic, Hinata said, "Oh…I say yes…_Sa-su-ke. _" Though he knew that this was all a joke, somehow the way she drew out his name gave him a warm feeling in his stomach. And then, Hinata went for the kill. In a stage-whisper, she said, (Oh, Sasuke could just _die_) "Kiss me, you fool."

"If you insist…" He said, smiling broadly, and he heard a heavy rattle as the doorknob was violently seized. On impulse, Sasuke did as Hinata asked, just as the door burst open. It was a joke. It was a prank, to teach that blonde idiot not to listen to other people speaking privately. But as Naruto came barreling into the room, his face red and mouth open and ready to yell, that didn't really matter. All that really mattered was his hand on Hinata's chin, tilting it upward, and the way her hair fell across her eyes as they widened in surprise when his lips touched hers. That, and the way his stomach suddenly felt light when by some miracle Hinata relaxed almost completely, breathing a sigh of contentment.

"Sasuke! You jerk! Get off of her!" Naruto stood with his fists ready to beat the stuffing out of Sasuke. The dark-haired man knew that without even needing to look. But at the moment, he was ignoring Naruto with every fiber of his being. Well, except for the hand he used to make a shooing gesture at him before that same hand found its way to Hinata's hair. "Sasuke? Are you even listening to me? I said…"

Whatever else Naruto blustered just went away when Sasuke pulled away from Hinata's lips, and he leaned low, saying in her ear, "Happy Birthday, Hinata…"

She gave a little laugh. "Thank you," she said, and then, "But don't think that a dance and a kiss get you anywhere." When he pulled back, he saw that she was smirking.

* * *

"Really?" she heard Sasuke say before he gave a smirk of his own, "What would?"

"That's it!" Hinata blinked rapidly as she heard Naruto's voice yelling again, "You let her go!" Two hands grabbed Sasuke roughly by his lapels and pulled him away, shoving him hard toward the door.

Suddenly, Sasuke's eyes were cold, and they glared daggers at Naruto. "What is your problem?"

"You! You're my problem! You keep away from Hinata or–"

Hinata watched in horror as Naruto and Sasuke stared each other down and Sasuke interrupted the blonde's tirade. "Or you'll what? You'll hit me? Go ahead. I dare you, Naruto." Sasuke stood motionless, indeed daring the other man. This was not the way Hinata had wanted her birthday to turn out. Not at all. No, she hadn't thought or dreamt, and certainly hadn't _wanted_ the night to end with anyone getting into a knock-down-drag-out fistfight.

And that's what it looked like it was going to turn into, since Naruto was taking off his jacket. Something in her just snapped at that point. Hinata took four steps forward and took hold of Naruto's ear with her left hand and Sasuke's with her right.

"Ouch!" Naruto yelled.

"What the?!" Sasuke groused.

"Stop it!" Hinata pulled at both of their ears, bringing both men down to her eye level. "You two are acting like five-year-olds! Naruto, first of all, I just wanted you to know…that was a joke. And Sasuke, you didn't have to encourage him." Releasing both men's ears, she stepped back and watched both of them rubbing at their sore appendages. "Men…"

Naruto bit his lip. "You mean…that was…it wasn't real?" Hinata shook her head.

"No, Naruto. It wasn't. That was to teach you to eavesdrop. Now, get out. I need to speak to Mr. Uchiha, here." He looked as if he wanted to protest, but Hinata said, "Naruto…I'm warning you…if you want that ear, you'll leave. Quietly." He smiled sheepishly, and started rubbing nervously at the back of his neck. He excused himself quietly as requested, and closed the door behind him.

When she turned to Sasuke, he wasn't looking at her. He stared at a spot on the floor near her feet. "Is that true?"

"Is what true?" she asked, blinking in confusion.

Sasuke's face looked strange. If Hinata didn't know better, she would say that he was…_blushing? _ "What you told him…about you and me."

"Of course it is, Sasuke. Why wouldn't it be?" Hinata said this gently, a little hesitantly, still trying to figure out where he was going with this. It didn't take long. She didn't have to figure it out.

She didn't have to, because Sasuke told her. "It wasn't a joke to me…not really." Hinata opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her. His eyes rose, and met her face, and she didn't even recognize him. Sasuke looked like a completely different person. "I meant it, Hinata. I wanted…" he sighed heavily, "…I wanted to…to see what you're really like. When you're not angry with me, I mean. I thought that maybe…" He seemed to give up, and his gaze fell away again. "Nevermind. Pretend I didn't say anything." And he turned to leave the room.

When his hand touched the knob, Hinata moved. Her hand stopped his from turning the brass fixture. "You're still acting like a child, Sasuke." Gently prying his fingers from where they rested, she pulled him to face her. "Look at me."

That same expression was in his eyes again. Hinata wondered, if maybe the ice and sarcasm was just the exterior…a shell to protect this softer, more vulnerable core that she saw through his eyes. "Why?" he said in a voice so small that she wondered where it came from, "Why do you hate me?"

Hinata blinked. "No…Sasuke, I don't hate you." He snorted, and she shook her head. "But I don't. You just…irritate me. Hate is something that I don't think I'm really capable of." She smiled at him, a little sadly, before she said, "You really meant that?"

"What?"

"The whole dancing thing. You really want to go out with me?"

Sasuke's smile returned, albeit a bit weakly. "Yes."

Now it was Hinata's turn to be embarrassed. "Why?"

"Why, what?"

Looking away, she said, "Why me? There's got to be _tons_ of girls that are better than me…" Hinata never did understand, if a man was attracted to her…what was it about her that they liked? She wasn't pretty. Not really. Her hair was a weird color, she was naturally pasty white, and her eyes made her look like a freak of nature. One might say that she had poor self-esteem, but it wasn't that. She simply did not understand what made men like her–not that it happened very often–when they did.

Sasuke chuckled, which brought her attention back to his face. "I think we'll have to work on that," he said, rather enigmatically, as he leaned down to kiss her. There was a little jolt in her stomach that hadn't been there the first time. Even though it was only a very, very small kiss, Hinata's heart jumped a couple of times, and her hands ended up on his chest. He pulled back and reached up to smooth her hair.

"Nothing to say?" He asked, and smiled when Hinata started sputtering at the use of her words from earlier.

"You're still a jerk," she grumbled.

"Is that a problem?"

"We'll see." Hinata wasn't sure what she was getting herself into, but she had to answer to that feeling in her stomach, and that vulnerable look she'd seen in his eyes a few moments ago. And those were the things that made her squeeze his hand reassuringly.

* * *

December 7

_"O spite! O hell! I see you all are bent  
To set against me for your merriment:  
If you we re civil and knew courtesy,  
You would not do me thus much injury.  
Can you not hate me, as I know you do,  
But you must join in souls to mock me too?"_

---Helena, Act III, Scene 2, A Midsummer Night's Dream

Had I not been there myself, I would have thought that it was all a dream. I mean…this entire night has been insane. Tomorrow, I move into a new apartment that was given to me…as a gift. My father, the great man, he who bows to no one, practically abased himself in front of me tonight, and I just can't believe it.

I got more presents than I know what to do with, and saw all of my old friends. That was good. But then, there was that whole debacle after I passes out…I don't know what's going on. I'm half inclined to believe that Naruto and Sasuke cooked up the entire situation just to mess with me on my birthday. It would make sense, in a twisted sort of way.

But something tells me that it wasn't a joke. There was something in the way that he looked at me…it was as if I saw what he's really like, under all of that spite and irritation. And then, there's Naruto. Why was he listening? Had he really wanted to hear me set Sasuke down that badly?

Someone just shoot me…please.

Or, as I once heard, "Stop the world. I want to get off."

Argh. 

* * *

**A/N:** okay. I'm sneezing from all the fluff now…but I guess you can blame it on Zach Helm and the cast of _Stranger Than Fiction_. I saw that movie the other day, and it just made me want to write fulff. Cheh. Been planning the whole SasuHina bit for a while, but I don't know how far I'll take it.

(1) Shukufuku: blessed, literally "God's blessing".  
(2) Banzai: hurrah!  
(3) Let's Call the Whole Thing Off: a song, often sang by two people, about being complete opposites, and saying that it just won't work out, but that they can't stay apart, because they'd miss fighting with each other. Appropriate, yes? 


	4. Rabbit

**A/N: **Bet you guys thought I had abandoned this, yeah? No. I haven't. I only have a million things to do, so I work on things as I get inspired to write on them. Hope you enjoy this chapter, because I get to put Itachi in his place! Oh, I have wanted to do that for a very long time! Anyhow, enjoy!

**Warnings:**

**FL--**Foul Language

**V--**blood and dead animals

**Legal Stuffiness:** I do not own Naruto or any of the characters therein. Kishimoto Masashi, sole proprietor.

* * *

**No One Knows I'm Famous

* * *

**

**Chapter 4: **Rabbit

"Okay, Hinata! That's the last of it!" Naruto dropped the last box on the floor. The new owner of the apartment stepped into the room, keys in hand. "Did you get a chance to look around yet?" She shook her head. Naruto grabbed her hand, and dragged her first to the kitchen. This was painted a pale yellow, and he had stolen a little orange paint to make a little surprise for her over the range. He watched her look around, at the shining new appliances, the fresh paint, and the black and white checkered floor, her eyes widening.

"All of this…for me? And what's that?" She pointed at the orange smiley face that was painted on the wall over the stove, with a little painted frame around it. Naruto had even signed his name like a real artist. "Naruto…you did that?" He nodded, his smile widening. "Funny. Just cute." She wasn't smiling, and he started to get worried.

Scratching at the back of his head in that old nervous way he had, Naruto said, "I dunno. I thought it _was_ cute." Scuffing the toe of his shoe on the tiled floor, he said, "We still have some of the yellow paint…I could cover it up." Naruto started to leave the room when he felt her hand on his arm. Hinata's face was scrunched up, and she was trying not to laugh. Naruto's eyes narrowed, and he made an annoyed noise in the back of his throat. "Okay. No more hanging out with Sasuke for you, Missy."

Hinata started, looking rather confused for a moment, but moved for the door. "What about the rest, Naruto?" Naruto went with her, to the living room. There were gothic arches in the ceiling, as well as the windows, and the ceiling was painted to look like a blue sky with a few lazy clouds. The walls were a clean white, while the columns were left their original wood color, which was a rich cinnamon-like brown. This went very nicely with the furniture that Naruto had picked out. A dark orange sofa, wooden chairs with squashy cushions, and a couple of small tables were nicely offset by the ceiling, and by the enormous braided leather rug on the floor. Naruto almost glowed with pride, and Hinata seemed to like the room, which made him all the happier.

Then, they came to the room in which he and Sasuke had nearly beaten the stuffing out of each other. This was the room Sasuke had done. He had been offered the bathroom, the spare bedroom, and the kitchen, but he insisted on doing the study. The irritating man had also not allowed Neji to purchase anything for the room. He had bought everything, from the paint on the walls to the furniture (a very nice ebony desk and two leather couches along with a matching desk chair) and the Tiffany lamp standing in the corner. The man himself was huddled under the desk at the moment, with only his feet sticking out. "Oi," Naruto said loudly, and Sasuke jumped, hitting his head on the underside of the desk. That made him giggle just a bit.

They could hear him grumbling as he backed out of the cavity with a pair of pliers in his hand. "What?" His dark eyes glared at Naruto, and he nodded to Hinata. For just a moment, Naruto thought he saw something there—but no…that would be stupid.

"I'm showing her the place. She didn't get a chance to see it."

"Hn." He shoved himself back under the desk, and after a moment, there was a small noise (_zap!_) followed by a long string of expletives.

Hinata went over to the desk, leaning down until she could see into the little dark space.

* * *

"Do you need any help?" It was very dark under there, and she couldn't see anything until Sasuke looked over his shoulder. His face was so pale that it glowed in the dark. 

In a low tone, he said, "Can you get him out of here? He's annoying me." Hinata grunted and gave him a little kick with her foot. She saw his eyes roll. "Hinata, every time I'm around him, something goes wrong…I nearly electrocuted myself just now. He's just really _distracting_." Now that, she could agree with. Naruto had a tendency to make himself the center of attention, even if something else important was going on. Nodding, she stood up again and took Naruto's arm, guiding him out of the room.

"So…what else did you guys do to the place?"

After seeing the bathroom, which was a nondescript sort of calm blue, and the guest room, Naruto took a moment to stand in front of the bedroom door. "Okay. Now Neji and Tenten did this room…it was Tenten's idea. You should have seen Neji when they were finished. Tenten painted nearly his entire head purple…that was _hilarious_…" Hinata was getting antsy. Why didn't he just open the door? After a couple more minutes of him babbling, the room was opened.

Hinata gasped. The facing wall was a mural of purples, blues, pinks, and any other imaginable color that formed a breathtaking sunset. It was reflected in a mirror-wall, and centered over a queen-sized bed, which was covered in a simple, pale yellow coverlet, with snowy white pillowcases. "It's beautiful…" Hinata would never have admitted to it, but she really felt like hugging Neji. And Tenten, too.

Instead, she settled on hugging Naruto by proxy. As she squeezed him around the middle, she buried her face in his chest. "It's all so beautiful, Naruto…" The whole thing brought tears to her eyes. It was all for her. Hinata knew that this was the best present she'd ever gotten. What made it all the more special was the fact that it was a team effort. It was like each room had its own personality…as if each of them had picked a room and done what they felt would be best. As she was musing on these things, she kept hugging her editor, who started blushing. When she finally let go of him, she realized she'd made him uncomfortable. Hinata bit her lip, and cleared her throat, quickly making the suggestion that they start on something else.

The tour now over, they got to work unpacking boxes. There weren't that many. It was mostly clothes and a few small things for each room that Hinata had refused to leave behind. There was her grandfather's desk lamp, which was to go in the office, as well as a tea set that she actually threatened Naruto with dismemberment if he broke it. That had been her mother's.

The last box was unpacked some time around five in the afternoon, and the final bits of electrical work were also finished. Hinata and the others (Sasuke and Naruto) sat in the living room, trying to catch their breath.

"I hurt." Naruto said, his tone being one of whining complaint.

"You barely did anything at all!" Sasuke said from the other side of Hinata on the couch. The blonde raised his head from where it rested against the couch back to glare at Sasuke. Before he could open his mouth to retort, Hinata sighed.

"When are you two going to stop?"

"I'll stop when he does." Sasuke said teasingly, and she rolled her eyes at him.

"You're exhausting." Hinata groaned, and hauled herself to her feet. "Anybody want something to drink?"

"Water," Sasuke said quietly.

"Coke!" Chirped Naruto, who jumped up with the intention of helping out. Hinata found him following behind her, and when she opened the refrigerator, he held the door as she pulled out a bottle of water and a can of soda, as well as juice for herself. "Hinata…" his voice sounded a bit hesitant. "I was wondering, um, what you're doing tomorrow?" Glancing up at him, she saw him blushing, which caught her off guard, because she didn't think anything could embarrass Naruto. "I mean…that is…if you're not busy…"

Hinata busied herself with looking for a tray. "I don't know, Naruto. I need to see if I've got plans. What did you have in mind?" Her hand closed on a black lacquered tray as Naruto spoke again.

"Could you teach me more chess?" Naruto was examining his shoes at the moment, and there was a slight tinge of pink to his cheeks, which Hinata found to be rather…adorable. There was something about the way his shoulders were slumped, and one of his feet turned inward, making him seem so unsure of himself that it was hard for her not to smile. She didn't even try to resist.

"Well…if you twist my arm, sure." She watched him as his head lifted in surprise, and as bright blue eyes seemed to light up from within as he smiled. Hinata picked up the tray, heading back into the living room. As she bumped out of the door, back first, she asked, "What time?" Naruto followed her, offering to take the tray, but she declined. "Well? What time?"

Sasuke turned around, seeing them. His left eyebrow rose sharply. "What time _what_? What're you two plotting?"

"None of your business, bastard…" Naruto grumped, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pants. That seemed to provoke Sasuke, who apparently did not like being called a bastard. His eyebrow rose higher as he got up, taking the tray from Hinata without asking. Naruto just glared at him before he vaulted over the sofa, landing with a hard flop. He grabbed his soda from the tray, which now rested firmly in the middle of the coffee table, popped the top, and started drinking, ignoring the glass that Hinata had put out for him. This activity didn't stop him from glaring fiercely at Sasuke.

Hinata, in the mean time, was standing near the door, watching them. They were utterly ridiculous. It was like they were two little boys, fighting over who got to play with the toy that both wanted. She wished that they'd both just grow up.

While Naruto was glaring and slurping away, Sasuke had started pouring juice into a glass. Without really looking at her, he held it out to her. She walked forward, taking the juice, and his hand closed around hers. His dark eyes then settled on her in that way that always seemed to make her a bit uneasy. "What time what, Hinata?"

She didn't like the tone he was taking. It was like he felt that her life was suddenly entirely his affair. Hinata gently extricated herself from his grip, and stood straight. "It's like he said: none of your business."

"You forgot the 'bastard' at the end." Naruto said between slurps, smirking as best he could.

"No. I did _not_ forget it. That was very rude of you, Naruto. I think you two need to kiss and make up or something. Either _both_ of you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, or you've got some kind of beef." She crossed her arms carefully, mindful of her glass, which she still had not taken a sip from. "Well?" Her pale eyes scanned one face, then the other. Naruto looked slightly frustrated, and Sasuke's face remained studiously blank, in spite of his tense posture. "What's your problem?"

Naruto stiffened, and Sasuke slumped, but neither of them said anything. "Fine." Hinata pursed her lips. "If you want to be that way, then get your collective asses out of my apartment." Uncrossing her arms, she hooked a thumb behind her toward the door.

"Hinata—" both men said, but stopped as soon as they realized they'd spoken at the same time. Immediately, they glared at each other.

Hinata stared at them. How _old_ were they? She knew that Naruto was her age, and she suspected Sasuke of being a year older, but for the love of all that is holy, why couldn't they just calm down and get along? Naruto was her editor, and Sasuke (while she was still holding him firmly in the probationary spot in her mind) was her friend. If she couldn't be around both of them at once, then what was she going to do?

_Ring! Ring!_

Sighing, Hinata went to the telephone, and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hinata, it's Neji. How are things there?"

"Okay, unless you count having to referee Naruto and Sasuke."

A laugh. "Too bad for you. I have an appointment for you tomorrow."

Hinata groaned. "Not the old man again? Please? He pinched my ass last time…"

Neji made an affronted noise, but seemed to regain his composure after a moment. "No. I am sending you to a consultant."

Her eyes narrowed. "A consultant? What _kind_ of consultant, Neji?"

A cough. "A fashion consultant."

"A WHAT?" Hinata's voice came as close to a scream as possible without actually getting there, but then her tone lowered, and she growled, "I am not going. I don't need it."

"Put me on the speaker, Hinata."

"Why?"

"Just do it, please."

Hinata pressed the little green button, and put the receiver down.

"Hello Naruto. Sasuke."

"Hello," both men intoned.

"I would like you to answer a question for me. A simple yes or no will do." Both young men answered him in the affirmative. "I have made an appointment with a fashion consultant for Hinata. Is it your opinion that she should keep the meeting, or not?"

"Yes!" Naruto cried, while Sasuke said nothing.

"Naruto!" Hinata gasped, her eyes widening with indignation. She felt rather betrayed by him. After all, he had been the one to help her through the beginnings of this rather odd process of becoming ready for being the public figure she would be.

He bit his lip, but said, "Sorry, Hinata, but most of the things you wear aren't very…what's the word, Sasuke?"

Sasuke spread his hands in a defensive gesture, shaking his head. "No comment, idiot. You're on your own on this one." Hinata smiled gratefully, though she wondered at his motive for remaining silent on the matter. Usually, Sasuke jumped at any chance he got to let her know about her every little imperfection.

"So?" Neji asked over the phone, waiting for Hinata.

"I don't _want_ to go, Neji." Her fists were clenched at her sides. She knew now that she was whining, but she didn't care. Just when she was about to start complaining, Sasuke spoke up, his eyes having narrowed to thin slits as he peered at the telephone.

"This consultant…what firm would they work for?"

"New Image Consultants, Limited."

Dark eyes widened, and he blurted, "I'm going with her."

"Excuse me?" Naruto said, "What makes you think that?"

"Shut up, Naruto. I'm going with her, because I _know_ the fashion consultant there, and I don't want my brother…_schmoozing_ her." Sasuke's nose wrinkled in distaste.

His brother? Hinata's head was starting to get a bit light. What in the world was going on? And what was with people deciding things for her? She was getting just a bit tired of it. Neji agreed, and hung up before Hinata could renew her protests. Now, she was staring at the phone, her anger rising, and her hands flew to the hem of her old green shirt, beginning to twist the fabric. It was altogether irritating. When was she going to have her own life? Until she was seventeen, her father decided everything for her from what she wore to the things she ate and where she went to school. After that, she had been on her own.

Hinata had worked part time at a convenience store and lived in a very shabby apartment that was about half the size of a shoebox, but she had been on her own. She had written, published and sold four books since then, and she had become very famous under her penname, but people were _still_ trying to control her life. Her heart started hammering in her chest, and she glared harder at the phone, as if she could burn a hole in it with her eyes. Just when she was sure it might work, she felt someone grasp her hands and pull them away from her shirt.

"What…" she started, but then saw her hands. They were bleeding.

"Hinata, what are you doing to yourself?" Somehow, Sasuke's voice sounded far away, sort of hollow, like it was coming from down a long hallway. All she heard was her heartbeat. Hinata didn't see his face. She was too busy looking at her hands. Red drops ran down from her fingers, where the skin had cracked along the creases of her first and second knuckles on both of her index fingers, and her right middle finger. After a moment, even that started to get fuzzy. Something hot was flooding her eyes, and before she knew what was happening, Hinata collapsed against Sasuke, tears of anger and frustration pouring from her, onto the soft gray cotton of his tee shirt. Blood or no blood, her hands gripped the sides of his shirt, pulling him closer, seeking warmth and comfort, even as he stiffened bodily at the contact.

* * *

"Naruto," Sasuke whispered as Hinata continued to cry, "Come here." One of his arms was now around Hinata, holding her close, some previously unknown feeling of protectiveness overcoming everything else. Naruto approached, his eyes on Hinata, and a crease of worry on his forehead. Sasuke's other arm shot out, smacking Naruto hard on the side of the head. When the blonde man started sputtering, he said quietly through clenched teeth, "_That's_ for saying she needs a fashion consultant. There's nothing wrong with the way she dresses." 

The image of Hinata in her black velvet dress came up in his head, and it angered him that _anyone_ should think that Hinata was incapable of dressing herself. Nothing he had seen her in was unflattering. Eccentric, perhaps, and at times mannish, but it suited her personality. Now, she was going to have to meet Itachi, and he was _not_ looking forward to running interference between them. If Hinata thought that Sasuke was annoying, and if his attitude made her anger rise, then Itachi would have her insides seething in no time. Couple that with the fact that Hinata was exactly the type of woman Itachi usually dated (though, admittedly, much less vacuous), and it was a recipe for utter disaster.

"Sasuke, if you don't stop what you're doing, she's going to get hurt." Naruto held the side of his head, his eyes on Hinata's shaking form, which was huddled against Sasuke. Though he should have, Sasuke didn't stop to think about it.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

Naruto stalked away, to the door of the apartment, grabbing his coat on the way. "So you _say._" What the other man meant by _that_ was anyone's guess.

* * *

On the twentieth floor of a posh office tower, there were several offices. The largest of these belonged to one of the three senior partners of the firm known as New Image Consultants, Limited. As the founder, Uchiha Itachi enjoyed the largest office, the prettiest secretary, and the job of consulting with everyone from movie stars to politicians on the way they dressed. Though this job was tedious at times, he did get to meet a few interesting people, and practice his very favorite pastime: psychological manipulation. 

He was very good at his job. In fact, he was used not only by those wealthy—altogether too wealthy, in his opinion—Japanese individuals that felt the need for a little extra advice, but also those in other countries. For the most part, he was happy with his job. He got to play with people's heads on a regular basis, so that kept him from getting bored. His calendar was always filled, so he was in no danger of being idle, which he despised. And, it kept him far, far away from that sanctimonious little brother that he had nearly been saddled with at the tender age of fifteen.

Itachi sighed. Had it not been for their father's will, _he_ would have been the one to raise the little brat. As it was, a distant (something in the neighborhood of six times removed) cousin of his father's had taken them in, and Itachi had promptly moved out as soon as he turned sixteen. Hatake Kakashi was one of those lay about hippie types. The man was a senior editor for a highly successful publishing house, and had taught Sasuke every trick of that trade since he had been old enough to hold a pen. In fact, until the boy had gone off to college, he had helped to edit close to thirty books. Now, he was one of the junior editors for the same publishing house, handling mystery novels. The only time Itachi was forced to see him was on the anniversary of their parents' death, when they met at the family shrine to pray (or rather, Sasuke prayed while Itachi just knelt there bored out of his skull) for their souls.

His ten o'clock appointment was three minutes late in arriving. Itachi shifted in his Corinthian leather chair. He despised tardiness. After all, his time was quite valuable. The man who had called—a Hyuuga no less—had said that his cousin would be coming for an initial consultation, then would be needing a complete wardrobe, which the family would be paying for. And money would be no object. Itachi had been overjoyed. The Hyuuga family had more money than they knew what to do with, and those were the types of clients he loved best.

Though he had no idea of what to expect, he was decently sure that the girl would be dull, quiet, and frumpy. His experience with the family had shown them to be rather uptight, and far from social.

_Buzz._

"Mr. Uchiha, Hyuuga Hinata is here. Shall I show her in?"

"You may, Miss Tanaka." Sighing, and pushing himself up from his chair, he walked around to the front of his gleaming glass and chrome desk, waiting in the middle of the pristine white tile floor for his secretary to open the door and usher in his client.

* * *

"Are you sure this is okay?" Hinata whispered, tugging at the collar of her shirt. Sasuke gave her a little smirk, and blinked at her slowly before nodding. He had descended the stairs only an hour earlier to fetch her. She had apparently chosen to wear something rather business-like, and it did not suit her, in his opinion. The black suit was immaculately clean, pressed, and expertly tailored, and the shirt was a snowy white, which contrasted starkly with the pale blue silk necktie she wore. It said one thing, loud and clear: _conservative_. This was, perhaps, the lingering influence of her family…The ensemble's only saving grace was the matching double-breasted vest that she had worn. It had taken him half of the taxi ride to convince her to leave her jacket open so that the fine silk could be seen. At least that way there would be some color visible, and it would make her look a little less stuffy. She had been so nervous that she didn't notice when he loosened her tie and undone the top button of her shirt so that she could be a bit more comfortable. 

Now, they stood before elaborately painted shoji doors, waiting for the tall secretary to show them into his brother's office, and he was already getting annoyed. Without looking down at her, he said in an undertone, "Just remember not to let him push you around. You'll be fine."

He could hear her swallow at what had to be a lump in her throat, and then saw the door slide to the right, revealing the immaculate white glossy tile floor of his brother's office. The walls were the same color, only in some clean white stone. The only furniture in the room was a desk, and three chairs. Itachi stood in the middle of the room, ready to greet them.

"Hyuuga Hinata for you, Mr. Uchiha. And this young man…er—"

Itachi waved dismissively at the woman. "Don't trouble yourself, Aiko. He's my brother. Though…I wonder _why_ he's here?" His tone and one eyebrow rose at the end of that sentence, indicating his interest and annoyance at the younger Uchiha's presence. Before Sasuke could answer, though, his voice died in his throat. Itachi's eyes went roaming over Hinata. This was going to be a long day.

Stepping forward, Itachi bowed lightly and said with practiced politeness, "Miss Hyuuga." As he straightened, Itachi watched her bow in return. Glancing at his brother, he murmured, "Sasuke."

The younger man smirked a bit. "It's nice to see you, too, Itachi."

For a long moment, Itachi simply looked indifferently into his brother's face before he gestured to the seats in front of his desk. "Please be seated. I will be with you shortly."

As he and Hinata settled into the uncomfortable leather and steel concoctions masquerading as chairs, Sasuke looked around briefly, just in time to see Itachi disappear through a side door. What was he up to? Five minutes passed in tense silence, with Hinata shooting nervous glances his way, and he could tell by how she clenched her hands together in her lap that she was trying not to twist the French cuffs of her shirt. The bandages on her fingers gave him pause. How long had she been doing that whole twisting thing? He knew repressed anger when he saw it, having been one with much of that himself. The fact that she was keeping something bottled up worried him. It was best to let it out (healthily, that is) before one simply exploded.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the door slid back, admitting Itachi, and three others, pushing rolling racks of clothing, a portable dressing screen, and a full-length mirror. Itachi held a small notebook. "All right…Miss Hyuuga, I'll need you to step behind the screen that these gentlemen are setting up." The tall, dark-haired man pulled a pair of rimless glasses from the breast pocket of his charcoal gray business suit, perching them on his nose, and flipped open the notebook in his hand. Without looking at Hinata, he added, "And remove your clothes."

Hinata blinked. Her tone was one of annoyed incredulity, "_Excuse_ me?"

"We have a robe for you," Itachi gestured, and a plush white robe was produced by one of his assistants, a man with long blonde hair that hung over his left eye. There was something devious going on in his brother's head, and Sasuke couldn't say that he liked it. Hinata reluctantly agreed, and stepped behind the screen which was set up in a corner. As articles of clothing started being draped over the screen, Itachi turned to him. "What are you doing here?"

Resisting the urge to hit him, Sasuke made certain that his voice was low. "Moral support."

"Is that an insinuation?" Itachi watched as the almost iridescent vest was thrown over the edge of the copper-sheeted screen. Sasuke didn't answer. He was aware that Itachi knew what he would have said, anyway. It was no secret that his older brother had a propensity toward womanizing. He himself was quite the opposite. He found that the company of females was in general tiresome, what with their vapid musings on hair, nails and clothing. They simply did not interest him. That is, until he found one that was not so entranced with his presence as others were. Of course, Hinata was a very interesting woman, and in spite of the hack-and-slash job he had done on that short piece of manuscript, he was aware of the raw talent she possessed for her craft. He had developed a respect for her that went beyond human decency and professional courtesy.

Itachi's voice cut through his thoughts, low and quiet. "She's lovely. How did you—"

"Work."

"She's an authoress or something?" Itachi's head cocked to the left.

"You could say that." Even if Neji had made the asshole sign a confidentiality statement—and Sasuke was certain he would have—he wasn't going to tell him anything. The fact that _he_ knew Hester Aldridge's true identity was because of his closeness with Naruto, but he wasn't going to divulge that information to anyone that did not specifically need to know.

Itachi sighed tiredly as they waited. "So how's the old crackpot?"

Sasuke's face darkened. He might not have enjoyed every moment of life with Hatake Kakashi, but the man had raised him, and deserved his respect. "Kakashi is fine. He's my overseeing senior right now." The older man nodded, though Sasuke could tell he wasn't really paying attention. His eyes were fixed on the shiny metal in front of him. Hinata stepped out from behind the screen.

Her posture was tense, and Sasuke could tell she was apprehensive. Itachi swept forward, pulling several pieces of clothing from the rack. "I think that we should start off with something simple. Put this on."

Immediately stepping back behind the screen, Hinata grumbled, "What the hell is this?" when the clothes were handed to her by the blonde assistant.

"Casual clothing." Itachi said, a tiny smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

Her voice came louder now. "I can't wear this," and the pieces were draped back over the screen.

Sasuke saw what they were now. What made Itachi think that Hinata was a mini-skirt type of woman? He chuckled to himself. Itachi glared and went back to the rack. Itachi wasn't used to being reproved, he was fairly sure. Hinata poked her head out from behind the screen. She put a fair amount of venom into her voice when she said, "When you find something that doesn't look like a hooker's work clothes, let me know." Her eyes turned to the blonde man, and her tone softened. "What's your name?"

"Deidara, Miss." Under her gaze, the man blushed.

"Could you be a dear and get me a cup of tea? Oolong, if you please. If that's not available, I'll take a nice Darjeeling." Sasuke watched his brother's jaw drop from the corner of his eye, just as Hinata disappeared behind the screen. Sasuke managed to avoid smiling. Barely.

* * *

Four hours later, Hinata led the way out of the building, jacket open and tie stuffed into one of her pockets, while Sasuke walked behind her. She felt so much better…why? 

"Hinata," Sasuke said from behind her, which made her stop. When she turned, she saw something that was truly magnificent. Sasuke was smiling. His usually stern face was almost lit from the inside by the mirth that seemed to flow from him. "Thank you."

"For what?" she asked, confused.

Sasuke's smile grew, and Hinata thought for a moment that he might be human like everyone else. Then…that mouth! "Thank you for telling my brother off no fewer than _five_ times. He's never had that happen to him. Especially coming from a woman he was ogling." Hinata's face settled into a frown of disapproval. That wasn't very nice. "Oh, come on, Hinata. Don't tell me that you didn't enjoy it. You're practically _glowing_."

She tried to stare blankly at him, she really did. But it was so _hard_ when he was not only right, but also actually smiling. That event was so rare that she wanted to take a picture of it. In the short time she'd known him, Hinata had seen him smile only three times: just now, once in the park, and just after he'd kissed her. Now _there_ was a dangerous thought. Hinata kept walking.

After a moment, she reached the curb, and had hailed a taxi. Sasuke slid in next to her. In one way, it was convenient to have him live in the same building. They could split cab fare, which they did, at Hinata's insistence.

* * *

It was ten o'clock in the morning when a buzzing sound woke her up. Groaning, Hinata shoved herself out of the comforts of her bed, jammed her feet into her slippers, and shuffled through the apartment to the buzzer panel. Leaning her head on the wall and pressing the button heavily, her groggy voice sounded strange even to her. "What?" 

A male voice, hollow and tinny from the little microphone out front of the building, said, "Delivery for Hyuuga Hinata."

"What is it?" She asked, not knowing what it was all about.

The man snapped back at her, annoyed. "How am I supposed to know? I'm just the delivery man. Now open the door so I can leave it at the front desk!" Hinata was getting annoyed herself. This guy had the nerve to yell at _her_? He was the one who woke her up, not the other way round. She had half a mind to storm into the lobby in her blue and green striped pajamas to give the idiot a piece of her mind.

"Fine. But do you have to be so rude?" Hinata pressed the button, and heard the loud buzz of the front doors, as well as something that sounded like the man saying that yes, he did have to be rude. Well, that would not really be very surprising. It seemed that many service personnel were required by law to be rude, abrasive, and altogether incompetent. Fifteen minutes later, the landlord's errand boy, Jinta, was knocking on her door. When she opened, it, the small boy smiled brightly. It was difficult for Hinata not to smile right back at him. "Hello, Jinta. You have something for me?"

"Yes I do!" He chirped, pulling a package about the size of a shoebox from behind his back. "Here you go, Miss Hinata!" When she took it, the boy rocked back and forth on his feet, eyeing her hopefully. He was not expecting a tip, she knew, but there was one thing that he knew she had…and Jinta wanted it. The boy had helped a bit with the initial move-in tasks, and afterward, decided to offer his services at any time—in return for a rather odd form of payment.

Sighing, Hinata opened the door wider, letting the boy in. He hurried through the door, and before she could even follow, she heard the door to the kitchen swinging open. Smiling to herself, she listened as she closed the door. There was a rattling sound, and then the faucet was being turned on. Her smile was almost splitting her face now.

_Knock, knock_.

The sound was so close to her head that she jumped; making a sound that was not unlike a mouse being strangled. Hinata turned around and looked through the peep-hole. Standing at her door, looking quite nervous, was Naruto. He was balancing two large brown paper sacks, and one plastic bag dangled from his arm. For a moment, Hinata studied his face. There was a very light smile on his face, but he was also gnawing at his bottom lip, as if he were worried about something and happy for it at the same time. When he didn't know she was looking, he was very near to adorable.

Hinata opened the door, "Naruto, however _did_ you get in?" Her sarcastic tone was betrayed by the smile that pulled at the corners of her mouth.

"The lady at the front desk has a crush on me." He shot back as he stuck out his tongue at her. "Can I…"

Hinata nearly jumped. "Oh! Please excuse me. I seem to be a bit out of the loop this morning. Come in," she stepped aside, taking one of the paper sacks and allowing him to walk ahead of her to the kitchen. When they got there, Jinta had already taken out two cups, and set the kettle to boil on the stove. "One more, if you please, Jinta."

"You said it!" Somehow, Jinta managed to climb up onto the counter and get another cup without hurting himself. Hinata knew better than to offer him a stool or a step-ladder, though. He had looked very hurt the last time she'd done that. "How are you Mr. Naruto?"

The blonde man was setting the bags on the counter, and pulling things out of them. Distractedly, he said, "I'm fine Jinta. How are you?"

"Great! Miss Hinata is letting me have some tea!" Jinta swung his short legs back and forth over the edge of the counter, the backs of his heels making a soft thump on the lower cabinet doors. He never asked for candy, or even any pocket-money from Hinata. All he wanted was to sit and have tea with her. He said it was because he liked the kinds of tea she had. Hinata wasn't so sure. It might have been that, but it also may have been the fact that it gave him the time to rest for a little while and maybe talk. In fact, the green-eyed boy talked quite a bit. He went on chattering until the kettle started whistling, and then prepared the tea. For the most part, he was a very well-behaved boy, and he put all of the tea things on a tray to bring over to the small kitchen table, smiling widely.

Naruto, all the while, was setting down the bags of groceries that he'd brought. "Well, Jinta," the blonde man said brightly, "I think Sasuke might have some errands for you to do later." The boy's face lit up, and he hopped down from the counter to do a happy little dance. He was always glad to help, and he loved to bother Sasuke. The Uchiha only tolerated him. "How's the tea?" Jinta ran off to the table on the other side of the bar to check the tea, and Naruto leaned against the sink. "So, what's in that box?" Hinata had nearly forgotten the package.

* * *

Naruto watched as Hinata ripped the paper away from the box, and used a kitchen knife to cut the tape holding it shut. She pulled balled-up paper from inside, and looked at the contents. A strange look came over her face. "Naruto," Hinata's voice came out sounding strained. "Could you put Jinta's tea in a plastic cup for him? I have an errand that is very, very important for him to run." 

Wondering what this was about, he did as she asked, while she wrote something on a piece of paper and folded it. Turning to the boy, who was now holding his cup and looking worriedly at her, she handed him the paper. "Jinta, listen. I need you to take this up to Mr. Uchiha right away. Once you do, please go back to the office. You can come back another day." The boy nodded glumly, and left. The instant the door closed behind him, Hinata gasped out a sob, and gripped the edge of the counter.

Sure that it had something to do with what was in the box, Naruto pulled back the flaps, and peered inside. His eyes became impossibly wide at what he saw. Nestled in a bed of bubble-wrap and packing paper was a small white rabbit. It was dead. The poor thing had its head cut off. "Good God…" Just as he was about to close the box again, he saw something sticking out from under the body. A scrap of paper was peeking out from under white fur that was caked in blood. Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Hinata, sit down and have your tea." The woman did as she was told, walking shakily over to the table.

Taking up the kitchen tongs, Naruto pulled the paper out of the box. On it was a note:

_REMEMBER ME? I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE._

"Holy…"

The sound of the front door opening and closing came, and Sasuke rushed in, wearing his pajamas and his hair was in complete disarray. "What's wrong?" His eyes trained on Hinata, and he was at her side in an instant. "Hinata? Are you all right?" She did not answer him, but only stared at the box. "Naruto? What's wrong?" Dark eyes turned on him, and then saw the note, spattered with the little animal's blood. The pale man came to look inside the box, and recoiled at its contents. "Shit…okay. We need to call Jiraiya and Neji."

* * *

Neji leaned against the counter. The police had just gone, having taken the box, its wrapping, and all its contents. Before they'd gotten there, he had taken digital photographs of the note, and then put his camera away. He needed to keep those pictures on file. Naruto was pacing the entire length of the kitchen. "This makes me sick," the blonde man said, agitated. "Who goes and chops of a baby rabbit's head and sends the dead body to someone?" 

Naruto's eyes darted all over the room, his hands clenching and unclenching. It was obvious to Neji that he was very worried for Hinata, for which he was glad. They'd gotten to be friends, which was the reason he'd asked Jiraiya to switch Shikamaru out with Naruto in the first place. The man became attached to people, and he was protective of those he considered to be friends. He was grateful to have Naruto to watch out for his cousin. Especially now.

The door to the kitchen swung open, admitting Sasuke. It was odd to see the man so…disheveled. He had dark circles under his eyes, and sleep in the little corners. Black hair stuck out in all directions, and he still wore his pajamas. Neji's head cocked to one side in a silent question.

"She's fine. I put her to bed." Sasuke went rifling through the cupboards, and after a few expletives, located a box of cereal. After pulling out a bowl and the milk that Naruto had brought over, Sasuke proceeded to make himself breakfast. Neji wondered just how close this man was to his cousin. A frown came over his face as that thought occurred to him. Neji wasn't sure how he felt about the possibility that Sasuke could be romantically involved with Hinata. "Jiraiya says that we might have to postpone the whole press-conference thing." That statement made Neji jump a little.

"Who cares about a stupid press conference? Someone's threatening Hinata!" Naruto burst out, stopping his pacing to glare at Sasuke, who just spooned cornflakes into his mouth and chewed calmly. Blue eyes, sharp with distaste, narrowed at the Uchiha. "How can you be so calm?" Sasuke finished chewing, swallowed, and then answered.

"Naruto, you should sit. I know you're upset, but freaking out is not going to help Hinata." Neji's estimation of Sasuke rose a little. Then, dark eyes turned on him, and Sasuke asked, "Do you know who might have done this?"

Neji flinched. He'd hoped that _particular_ piece of dirty laundry might not need to be aired out. Sighing, he recounted the story. "You know that Hinata is a very quiet person. And it takes a lot for her to open up…so when she finds someone she can do that with, she tends to cling to them. When she was living on her own, at first, she was very…vulnerable. Hinata worked in a convenience store, part time, and lived in the smallest apartment I have ever seen. She was always tired, but she was glad to be away from her father and our grandmother.

"Late in the first year of this kind of living, she met a man named Kawamura Daito. He would come into the store and buy strange things, just so he could talk to her. One day, he asked if she would have coffee with him. Hinata found that she could really talk to him. He listened. And he was a big help with boosting her confidence. Hinata was still trying to sell her first book, even though she had most of her second one written. Daito was instrumental in getting her in to see Jiraiya."

"So?" Naruto asked sharply, his eyebrows drawing down in confusion.

Neji's eyebrow rose. "_So_, one day, Daito asked if she would go on a real date with him, and you know Hinata. She went, even though she really couldn't see him as anything more than a dear friend. One date turned into two, and soon, she found herself in the middle of a very volatile situation. Daito was not the sweet man he had made himself out to be. He was obsessive, controlling, and would not let Hinata speak to a man without starting some kind of argument over it."

Sasuke had now finished his cornflakes, and was making tea. He paused, about to drop the leaves into the pot. "So, you think this guy Daito is the one who sent the rabbit?"

Neji leaned against the sink. "Well, he's the only person I can think of. Honestly, I was glad when Hinata's first manuscript was accepted. Jiraiya had Shikamaru find her a new apartment, and her phone number has been unlisted since then. It was Shikamaru's idea to give her a penname, and it worked. Hinata was off of the map. My family kept track of Daito for a while, but after she moved, and he was fired from his job as a policeman the threat was minimal."

Naruto was glaring at a spot on the floor. Sasuke idly poked at his cereal. The blonde asked, "What are we going to do?"

Neji sighed. "I don't know."

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you liked it. This is kind of a transitional chapter, so it might be a little awkward. Review and please let me know if you still like it. 


	5. Chapter 5: Winter Chill

**A/N:** Hey you guys. I just wanted everyone to rejoice! This story is not dead. I've had a good bit of this chapter done for a while, but then it stagnated for about six weeks. Now I have graduated, and I've been writing like mad. I hope you all can forgive me for beating up on Hinata so much. She's a great character, but in this, I guess she's a bit of a tortured soul. Anyway, I hope you like it. It's about 1,000 words longer than usual, just for you!

**Legal Stuffiness: **I do not own Naruto or any of the characters therein. I do not own the songs _How Do You Do_ and _There's A Good Reason Why These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought Of It Yet_, Which are the property of Cascada and Panic! At the Disco, respectively. And I soooo do not own _Arittake no Ai de_, because that belongs to Gackt.

* * *

**No One Knows I'm Famous**

**Chapter 4:** Winter Chill

It could only be him. No one else would have sent that poor little creature. That's what he used to call me. Usagi…it means rabbit. His little rabbit. I guess now, I can understand what he really meant. I was small and frightened. Now I'm just a bit larger, but I'm still scared out of my mind. And now, he knows where I live. God help me. The last thing I remember was Sasuke putting me to bed.

I woke up ten minutes ago, and it was midnight. Every light in the place was on, and Naruto is still camped out on my couch. It's like some awful movie. I want to just scream until I feel better, but I'm not even sure that would help me right now.

Before I got that box, things had been going so well. I had a relatively good morning, with two adorable boys coming to visit, and Naruto was going to make breakfast. Well, it should have been lunch, really, but he knows I sleep in. Jinta, bless him, was very worried when I told him to go bring that note to Sasuke. I'll have to apologize and make him a big pot of genmai cha. He loves the stuff. I think it smells like burnt popcorn.

* * *

Naruto woke at around two in the morning. His cellular phone was ringing, playing music in his pocket. "Geesh…keep your pants on…" he growled, digging for the contraption until he found it and flipped it open. "Hello? This better be a gorgeous woman begging for me to save her, or I'm hanging up." 

"Classy, Naruto." Sasuke's sarcastic tone did not escape him, but he refused to comment. There was a loud murmur in the background of wherever he was, and it was a little difficult to hear him. "Listen," he began, his voice sounding much more even, although filled with concern, "I'm going to be out of town for a bit. If you need to, stay at my place and keep an eye on Hinata for me."

Frowning, Naruto sat up on the couch. "She's going to want to know where you went, I think." That was tough for him to admit. For some reason, Hinata could actually stand having the cold bastard around, and she would get worried if she suddenly didn't know where he had gone.

A grunt from Sasuke had his temper flaring. Before he could say anything cross, Sasuke said, "Just tell her I'm getting help, okay?" What the hell was that supposed to mean? He agreed, and hung up after telling the bastard to be careful. Then, he went to check on Hinata. He found her in her study, snuggled into the dark leather couch. Her laptop was open, and she was fiddling with something.

"Heya, sweetheart," he said gently, coming to sit next to her. "I just got a call from Sasuke." Her eyes looked at him, though she did not turn her head. "He's being all sneaky. I don't know exactly where he is, or what he's doing. But whatever it is, he _says_ he's 'getting help'." She nodded, turning her attention back to the screen. There was a little frown on her lips. He wasn't really sure what to say. "Hinata, I know that this is probably not the time to ask—"

"Then don't." She turned her face toward him, a pained expression there. "You're probably about to say…what? That I would feel better if I talked about it? How would re-living things make me feel any better?"

"Hinata, I—"

"No, Naruto. I don't think that me telling you how he hit me will help my state of mind at all." Hinata's eyes were filming over with tears now, and her hands shook where they rested on the keys of her computer. Naruto's eyes widened. Hinata laughed harshly. "What? You look surprised. Do you think that someone who would kill a defenseless animal wouldn't hit a woman?" He couldn't say anything. No, she just kept going. "He broke my nose, Naruto. Shattered my cheekbone, dislocated my jaw, and I woke up a week later in the hospital." Wet trails led down from her eyes to her jaw, and fell onto the flannel of her pajamas.

Taking her laptop from her, he closed it and put it aside, then pulled her into a hug. Her face burrowed into his shirt, and he rubbed at her hair soothingly. "Shhh. It's okay, Hinata. He won't hurt you anymore." Her tears came faster, and she made a choked noise. "He won't hurt you…we won't let him."

* * *

Kakashi leaned on a tiled pillar, looking at his adopted son and protégé. The kid was out of his damned mind. He just dropped everything, showing up at the house in the middle of the night, saying that they had to go. Now, they were in Nagoya of all places, waiting for the train, and he _still_ had not fully explained what the devil they were doing here. "Sasuke, are you going to tell me what's going on, or do I need to have you committed to a mental institution for your own safety?" 

The young man glanced at him over his shoulder. He looked terrible. In spite of being impeccably dressed in a crisp white dress shirt, gray slacks and a navy blue wool pea coat, he looked worse for wear. His skin was paler than usual, and there were dark circles under his eyes, making him look more like his older brother. "We're going to see someone. I need you to get me in the door." Kakashi balked. He only knew one person in Nagoya, and his eyes widened at the very thought of Sasuke going in to see him.

"You really are insane, kid." He pushed off of the pillar, approaching the younger man. "Sasuke," Kakashi lay a hand on his arm, "are you sure you want to do this?" The boy had only met Sarutobi Asuma once, and as Kakashi remembered it, at the age of twelve, he'd wet himself. How much better off would he be now?

Dark eyes turned to him again, filled with determination, and they also looked a little desperate. "Kakashi, I need to talk to him. He's the only person that can help."

Sucking a tooth, the taller man regarded the way Sasuke's jaw was set. "As stubborn as ever, I see. Just be prepared. You don't know what he'll ask for in return." At Sasuke's nod, he then asked, "Now. What are you going to ask him?"

"I need him to…find someone for me." The pale young man had gone back to staring out into space. When was the last time he'd slept?

"Who?"

Smiling to himself, Sasuke's eyes took on that old sadistic gleam they used to have when he would get himself in trouble fighting in high school. "A dirty cop."

Kakashi was starting to feel like he was in the middle of one of the books that Sasuke edited. This was looking like it could actually get pretty messy. They were going to see one of the sleaziest, most low-down, dirty, rotten gangsters in the entire country, and Sasuke wasn't giving him all the facts. Now, there were _cops_ involved? "Damn it kid, give me the full story. I want names, I want details. I don't want Asuma suddenly thinking it's in his best interest to put a knife in my back. You leave anything out, it could get us _both_ killed."

Ten minutes later, they were on a train headed for the outskirts of Nagoya, and Kakashi wanted to beat his head against the floor. "This is about a girl?" Sasuke didn't look at him. Kakashi smiled in spite of himself. "You're nuts."

"Shut up."

"Oh, sure. I'll shut up. Right after I finish laughing at you. Sasuke, you do realize that you're acting crazy, don't you?" The kid was _bat-shit_ crazy. Either that, or he was in love. Kakashi was pretty sure that both of them were going to be dead by nine in the morning. Asuma didn't like being woken up before ten, and for something like this…

"I told you to shut up." His pale face was screwed into a look of utter annoyance. "She's being threatened. The bastard knows the ins and outs of the law enforcement system, since he used to be part of it. He probably still has a badge, so he could get into the building without calling up. This guy is up to no good. I did a little digging before I came over to your place, Kakashi. He hit her."

Oh. So that's what this was about. Sasuke was trying to play knight in shining armor. Again. He had this tendency…to find the girls with the biggest baggage, the ones that were damaged goods. And he didn't know any other way to deal with it than to be the savior and try making it all go away. It was obvious that he really liked this girl Hinata. From what he had seen of her, she didn't really fit the usual bill, but if what Sasuke was now spouting was true, then he might just have to change his mind about that one.

"She had a broken nose, a shattered cheekbone, two broken ribs, and a dislocated jaw, besides the fact that she was in a coma for a week." Sasuke wasn't looking at anything in particular. It was like he was trying not to think about it, and it wasn't working. Well, this was different. As dirty as Asuma was, he had one pet peeve: women were never to be touched, unless they hit you first. And Hinata was as gentle as a lamb, as far as he knew.

Sighing a little, he leaned his head back against the window. "Just be careful what you say to him, Sasuke. He doesn't tolerate dishonesty, and he can _always_ tell when you're lying." Closing his eyes, he fell into a restless sleep, hoping that they wouldn't be wearing cement kimonos by this time tomorrow.

* * *

Neji's head hurt. "Tenten," he growled into the intercom, "can you come in here, please?" In less than ten seconds, the statuesque woman was entering his office. "I need the number for the security division of the company, if you can." There was a sharp pain in his left temple as she turned to leave. "And some aspirin, please." According to Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke had disappeared, and he apparently took Hatake Kakashi with him. They were nowhere to be found, at least not in Tokyo. 

What the hell was he up to?

* * *

At nine in the morning, Hinata sat at her kitchen table. "It's too early for me to be up, Naruto…" Leaning heavily on her hand, she groaned. Naruto nodded to himself. She was not a morning person. Everyone knew this. "Tell me why I'm awake?" 

"Drink your tea, darling." Naruto's voice came out sounding almost patronizing, which was very unlike him. She sipped her tea, but shot him a look that demanded an explanation or else she was going back to bed. He smiled tensely as she took the first sip of her Earl Grey. Hinata thought that he was probably not too happy about having slept on the couch, but as far as she was concerned, it was his own fault for not going into the guest room. "I don't think you would be able to sleep soon, anyway."

That sounded surprisingly fishy. "What the hell is that supposed to mean, Naruto?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair and opening a cabinet to take out a pot for cooking their breakfast. "Your cousin…" Oh, good God, what did Neji do?! "…he called the security Nazis in your dad's company, and they're coming to install a big-brother system in here."

Hinata's eyes grew impossibly wide. "Excuse me?"

Tired blue eyes blinked at her before he grumbled, "You heard me." She was up out of her chair as soon as the words left his mouth, and he had his hands on her shoulders immediately, pushing her back down and pointing at her tea. "Drink that, or I'll call Neji." This was not Naruto. She did not know what was going on, but she could understand that there was more to this than he was telling her.

She sat in her chair, glaring at him and sulking. Taking a sip of her tea, she played with the dark blue flannel of her pajama shirt. "Where is Sasuke?"

He pulled eggs from the refrigerator, "I have no idea. He's probably off getting himself into trouble on your account." Hinata frowned. Where did Neji get off getting the security people to come and put cameras and motion detectors into her apartment? And who said she needed Sasuke to go popping off to God-knows-where? The whole thing made her want to twist their heads off! And now, Naruto was being something less than his usual polite and chipper self. The world had apparently become some altered, sinister version of its former self while she slept.

"Call him." She said plainly, trying to sound as commanding as possible.

"But—" He began, looking rather impotent, but Hinata cut him off.

"Just _call_ him, Naruto. I want to talk to him. If all else fails, I would prefer it if Daito didn't get his hands on him, okay?" True, she didn't want any of her friends to get hurt, but she also wanted to give him a piece of her mind to chew on. Honestly! The nerve of all these _men_ trying to dictate what her life was going to be…it was revolting! When the tall blonde hesitated, she stood and drew herself up to her full height, which was still a head shorter than he was. "Uzumaki Naruto, if you don't call Sasuke _right now_, you're going to be very, very sorry." Blue eyes widened to what had to be a painful extent before he pulled out his cellular phone.

Quickly, he pressed a couple of buttons, and then handed the device to her. "It's ringing." When she daintily took the phone, he cautioned her, "Don't kill him, Hinata." Her raised eyebrow indicated the obvious question as to his meaning. "He's only trying to help you…you know that, right?" The fact that Naruto was now biting his lip revealed the reason for his irritability. He was worried. Not only about her, but he was also worried for Sasuke. She gave a small smile, and he seemed rather relieved.

After nearly two full minutes of ringing, there was a click, and she heard Sasuke's deep, grumpy voice say, "What do you want, moron?" He apparently believed that it was Naruto.

"It's me, Sasuke. No need to call me names." Hinata's voice dripped sarcasm.

Sasuke was silent for a long moment. "Hinata?"

"Yes?"

After another pause, he asked, "Are you all right?"

Now, she was confused. Sasuke was far too concerned. Naruto was grumpy, and she was apparently going to be the star of her own reality show on closed-circuit television. In spite of all of this, she answered. "Yes, I'm fine. What are you doing, Sasuke? You're not getting yourself arrested or anything, are you?"

* * *

Sasuke's grip tightened on his cellular telephone. Asuma was watching him. The man looked lazy, but he knew very well that he was ready to spring into action at any moment. Trying not to sound as wound up as he felt, Sasuke said, "I don't think I need to be worried about being arrested, no." 

There was a grunt on the other end, which sounded like it was a snort that had been held back. "Then what _are_ you doing?" It took a long moment before he actually thought of how to answer that question. He couldn't lie, but he wasn't going to tell her that he was in a den of gangsters and murderers trying to negotiate for a favor.

Shortly, though, he cleared his throat. "I'm trying to get help in finding your ex-friend, Hinata. If I can, maybe we can call the police and tell them where he is so that you won't have to worry about him anymore?" She seemed to agree with that, but gave him an extra caution.

"Just be careful and come home safe." The line went dead after that. _Come home safe…_he smiled as he closed the clamshell phone.

Asuma grinned around his cigarette. "That her?" Sasuke nodded. "You take good care of her, do you?" The man was leaning back against a large mound of cushions, and he smiled gratefully at a woman with long, wavy black hair as she brought him a cup of tea.

"I try."

The bearded man laughed. "You try…well, I suppose that's all a man can do. But tell me, Uchiha Sasuke, what are you willing to give me for the assistance you need?" This was the pertinent question, wasn't it? What would he be willing to give for Hinata's safety? He barely knew her, but Sasuke couldn't help the feelings he had.

"Whatever you want…within reason." He knew Kakashi was going to smack him for that. But he said that Asuma could sniff out a lie easier than a bloodhound could do a criminal on a dry day with no wind. And he really would do just about anything to keep Hinata from danger. Asuma seemed happy about this.

Nodding, the criminal said, "Well, I doubt very much that I'll need _unreasonable_ assistance. But I was thinking…you know those books your boss writes?" Sasuke nodded. This couldn't be all he wanted. "I was hoping that you might get me a full set of autographed first editions…they're hard to come by." That was amusing. A full twenty-book set of limited-run porno novels, autographed by the author…and that was _it_? There had to be a catch.

Then, Sasuke realized. Unlike _most_ pornographic books, Jiraiya's novels were truly literature. He'd only been through them once, but he could see good writing…it was his job. First editions sold on Ebay for no less than 57,000 yen(1). Each. He was going to be well broke for close to five months. Unless…

He looked at Kakashi. The man's eyes widened, and then he held up his hands. "No."

Sasuke put on his best pleading expression. "Come on, Kakashi. This is your chance to do something for your fellow man. Daito's a scumbag. And you probably have those books memorized anyway." The older man gave him an evil glare. "Please?"

Asuma began chuckling. Kakashi then turned his glare onto the gangster. "You…you _knew_ he'd say that, didn't you?" Sasuke blinked, and took a step away from his foster father. Kakashi stepped closer to Asuma, and jabbed a finger in his direction as veins popped up in his neck with the force of his anger. "You've been wanting my books for years!" For some reason, Sasuke found this to be rather comical, and he began laughing right along with Asuma, who now had tears in his eyes. Kakashi began sputtering. "What the…what is _wrong_ with you people?"

Wiping his eyes, Asuma stood and clapped Sasuke hard on the back, nearly sending him reeling. "Oh," he gasped, still trying to stop laughing, "thanks for the laugh, kid. I thought that would do it." Gaping, Kakashi fell into a chair nearby. Asuma managed to contain his mirth for a moment so that he could say, "Don't worry, Kakashi. Your books are safe. I already have myself a copy of each…I just wanted to see you lose it." His dark brown eyes turned to Sasuke. Don't worry about the favor, kid. I'll do it for free."

Sasuke, stunned by the man's sense of humor and momentary generosity, murmured a surprised, "Thank you, Sarutobi-san…" Kakashi was still sitting there, his mouth hanging open. Sasuke pulled him up from his chair, and bowed deeply. And then he was backing his way out of the room, Kakashi in tow. "We apologize for disturbing you so early. If there is anything you need when you are next in Tokyo, please do not hesitate to call."

* * *

Naruto stood in the middle of the living room in Hinata's apartment, waiting. Neji's phone call had him on edge. The police had given photographs of Daito to the staff downstairs, so they were less likely to let him in, and Hinata was supposed to tell the front desk of she was expecting any packages. Any parcels that were not expected would be subjected to x-ray testing by the police. Neji also told him that the security system would be completely set up by the evening, and any mess cleaned up. But Naruto did not want Hinata to be in the house while they were working. 

It would be best for everyone concerned if they just went out. That was why he was now waiting for her to come out of her bedroom—hopefully dressed—so that they could go find something to do until they were finished with setting everything up. The main problem was _finding_ something for them to do. If there were such a thing…

Just then, the buzzer sounded for the door. Naruto walked over to the call box, and pressed the button. "Yes?"

The disembodied voice that came over the little speaker was feminine. "Naruto? Is that you?"

Smiling, he said, "Yep. What's up, Tenten?"

"I'm supposed to oversee the workers while they put in the security system." Naruto pressed the button for the front doors to open, and in a moment, Tenten was knocking at the door to the apartment. When he opened it, she stepped inside and removed her shoes. "Hi, kiddo." Her hug was probably a little too tight. "How is she?"

Naruto just shrugged. "She's as well as can be expected. I need to get her out of here." Tenten's nod was slow, understanding. It would be a rough day; that was the only thing he knew for sure. They stood in silence for a moment, until the sound of Hinata's footsteps came from the hallway, and they both turned to see her stumping into the living room, carrying her shoes. "Hey, sweetheart," Naruto said gently, "ready to go?"

"I guess." Hinata looked around him, and saw Tenten. Her face became a bit friendlier, since she had been frowning before. "Hi, Tenten."

The tall woman swept forward, putting her arms around Hinata in an almost motherly way. "Hinata," she said quietly, "you go and have fun with Naruto…I'll make sure no one breaks your stuff." This drew a quiet laugh from both women. Naruto watched the younger of them relax, her head falling against Tenten's shoulder. He wondered for the first time what might have happened to Hinata's mother. She had not been at the party. And then it hit him. Her mother must have died. How long ago was it, and how long had she been so isolated?

It was obvious that her father had distanced himself from her for some time, but that was over now, hopefully. Perhaps she should spend more time with Tenten. Neji's secretary was very protective of Hinata, in a motherly way. And it was quite possible that was exactly what she needed, rather than spending so much of her time with Naruto and Sasuke. When Hinata pulled away from Tenten, she looked a lot calmer. She straightened the pale gray sweater she wore, and surreptitiously smoothed her hands over her dark blue jeans. "Okay," Hinata said in her quiet, almost unsure way that Naruto had come to like, "I'll try."

And that's when he got an idea. The park was probably beautiful at this time of day, and she still needed to teach him more chess. After they bid Tenten farewell, he picked the board up from the table near the window where they'd left it, and brushed off Hinata's questions about where they were going.

* * *

Hinata smiled around the rim of a paper cup. Naruto was digging through his pockets, trying to find the last bit of his pocket change to pay for their drinks. The old man standing behind the counter started chuckling. "Ma, Naruto, I know you're good for it. You come here often enough that I make more money off of you than just about anyone else." 

The young man stopped digging, and looked up sheepishly. His nervous grin made Hinata want to giggle. When he pulled his hands from his pockets, he absently flicked away some pocket-fuzz, and made a nervous noise. "Eh…sorry Mr. Ichiraku. I'll add it to my next bill."

Ichiraku smiled kindly, his weathered face pulling into a network of wrinkles from decades of good humor. He shook his head. "We'll deal with that later. Now, who is your pretty friend? It's about time you brought someone other than Uchiha-san to see me." Naruto's cheeks turned a lovely pink color, and he stammered for a moment before regaining his composure. Hinata thought that it was cute.

"I'm sorry!" the blonde man gasped, horrified by his rudeness. "Mr. Ichiraku, this is a lady I work with. Her name is Hinata." Ichiraku nodded his acknowledgement, and Naruto continued, "This, Hinata, is Mr. Ichiraku. He makes the best ramen, yakisoba, and any other kind of noodle that you can think of. Like he said, I come here almost every day."

Hinata set her cup down on the counter, pulling her jacket closer around herself as the wind gusted in from behind the noren. Nodding, she added, "And don't forget that he makes a lovely cup of hot chocolate."

Ichiraku smiled, but said, "I'm afraid that you have the wrong man…my granddaughter is the one that makes the tea, coffee, and whatever other drinks you may want. One moment. I will see if she is in the little room in back." He disappeared into the back, and Hinata looked at Naruto, who was a bit nonplussed. It was, she thought, a bit like the way someone might look if their family were about to embarrass them. Before she could voice this opinion, the old man returned, with a lovely young woman following. She had short brown hair, which was held back by a snowy white kerchief, and she was wiping her hands on a black apron. Even from the other side of the bar, Hinata could smell coffee and chocolate. "Ayame, my granddaughter, this is Hinata." In a lower voice he said, "She's Naruto's _friend_, Ayame."

The expression in Ayame's dark eyes seemed to be full of mischief at the equally impish tone of Mr. Ichiraku's voice. "Oh, _is she now_?" Tilting her head slightly to the left, the woman addressed Naruto. "She's very pretty, Naruto." Winking, she said in a sly tone, "Not too shabby, kiddo." Naruto's face was roughly the color of a tomato now, and Hinata had to bite her lips not to laugh. Ayame, on the other hand, did not even try to hold in her mirth. She laughed, a tinkling, almost pixyish sound. Then, to Hinata, she said in a stage whisper behind her hand, "He's so sensitive…you know, I know _loads_ about Naruto. If you want to know anything, you just ask me, or my grandfather. We've known him since he was little."

Hinata nodded with a grin, but said nothing on the subject. She wanted to spare Naruto as much mortification as possible. Instead, she remarked on her drink. "Thank you for the hot chocolate, Ayame-san. It's wonderful." The older woman smiled and thanked her, then excused herself to return to the back. Ichiraku also went to work, kneading the dough for the next batch of udon, leaving Hinata and a still-red Naruto sitting at the bar. When she looked at him, he had his face buried in his hands. "Naruto…are you okay?"

Voice muffled by his hands, he groaned, "Fine…I'm okay. Just a little humiliated."

"It wasn't _that_ bad, was it?" she said quietly, trying not to upset him, but also trying very hard not to laugh. One of Naruto's hands shifted, his left eye looking at her in a way that reminded her of a small child playing peek-a-boo. He looked miserable. "Hey," she said as she lay a hand on his arm, "it could be worse." He snorted at that, asking how it could be worse than the people who practically _were_ his family embarrassing him in front of her. "Well, let's see…ah. Sasuke could have been here, too. Or maybe that pretty secretary that works for Mr. Jiraiya."

Naruto's face, now completely uncovered, scrunched up in distaste. "Tayuya is _not_ pretty." At her questioning glance, he said, "She's like…a man in a dress, I swear. And she's got a really foul mouth. Worse than Sasuke!" He reached for his cup of coffee, sipping the dark brown liquid and pulling a face before grabbing four packets of sugar, ripping off the tops, and dumping them in. Stirring distractedly, Naruto growled softly, "She's nowhere near as pretty as you."

Something in Hinata's stomach jumped when he said that. Maybe it was the look of half-mortification he had just after he said it, or…maybe it was that she could tell he really meant it _because_ of that look. Darn it all, Naruto was just too cute for his own good sometimes. He couldn't seem to look at her now, and his face had turned red again when he realized exactly what he had just said. A sudden impulse took her, and Hinata leaned over to kiss his cheek.

Instantly, it was as if someone had jammed a steel rod up Naruto's spine. His eyes widened, his back went straight, and he made a little squeaking sound, staring straight ahead. Mr. Ichiraku, who had been watching them from the corner of his eye, began laughing heartily at Naruto's expense. He chuckled loudly, and then said in a jovial manner, "Naruto, my boy…try a smile instead." Now, Hinata could not help but laugh as well.

Eyes returning to their normal shape, the young man sagged in his chair. He laughed sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck with one hand while absently stirring his coffee with the other. As often happened when she was in his presence, Hinata felt a strong urge to simply _hug_ Naruto. But she figured that it would probably make him a bit uneasy. He was oddly shy about that, it seemed. So, she settled for squeezing his hand when he put down his spoon.

Naruto's eyes fixed on her hand where it rested on his, and he bit his lip. "Hinata, I—" Before he could say whatever he was going to, music erupted from the pocket of his jacket, playing Cascada's _'How Do You Do?' _and vibrating like mad. "Damn it…" Naruto grumbled, fishing through his pocket and drawing his phone out. "Hello?" Hinata sipped at her cocoa, trying not to listen to Naruto's phone call. But after a moment, he hung up, and set the telephone down on the counter. "Sasuke's on his way back from _wherever_ he went."

Hinata nodded. She wasn't sure what his tone meant. He hadn't said anything after greeting the caller, and had not said goodbye. Perhaps he was angry with Sasuke? She hoped not. The last thing Hinata felt like doing when Sasuke got back was to need to referee between them again. "He didn't say where he was?" She probed gently, trying to keep her questions simple. Naruto shook his head. "Well…um…then what do we do now?"

Naruto chewed at his lip. "I _was_ going to see if you could teach me more chess. But I think that my brain's not up to that just now." That, she could understand. Too much had been happening in the past twenty-four hours. But Hinata did not want to think about Daito, the package, or the men bumbling around her apartment. For the most part, she could forget about all that when she was with Naruto, and that was something for which she was infinitely grateful.

After a long moment of thought, Hinata smiled. "Come with me, Naruto." He grabbed his cup, and they bid Mr. Ichiraku farewell, as well as Ayame, who popped her head out of the back and waved. As they walked away from the shop, Naruto asked her where they were headed. "It's a surprise." And imagine the look on his face when they approached a low-slung concrete-block building, with a large ice cube painted on the front. He looked questioningly at her, and she laughed, pulling at the front of his jacket.

They entered the front of the place, and a young man behind a counter welcomed them. Hinata pulled Naruto up to the counter, and said, "Two pairs, please." The young man set two pairs of ice skates on the counter, having correctly guessed their shoe sizes. Naruto looked even more confused than before. Hinata bumped backward through a swinging door, saying, "You have some energy to burn, don't you, Naruto?" He followed eagerly, catching the door and pushing through.

The rink was large, the Zamboni still running over the ice for the first time that day. Other than the large machine's operator, they had the place to themselves. Lights in various colors flicked on, casting pools of red, blue, purple and yellow over the ice, making it look like an enormous piece of stained glass. When Hinata looked at Naruto, he seemed to be entranced. Smiling, she poked him in the ribs, and they moved to sit down and remove their shoes. Once they put on the skates, they shuffled over to the edge of the ice, and removed the covers from the blades.

Hinata stepped onto the ice, checking her movement with the toepick of her right skate and turning to watch Naruto. He stepped tentatively onto the ice, testing his weight on the skates. Hinata pushed off, skating backward. Naruto caught up, moving casually with his hands clasped behind his back. "You're good at this, Hinata."

She waved a hand in front of her face. "When I was ten, I wanted to be a figure-skater…but that didn't work out so well. I ripped a couple of tendons trying to land a double-axle. Still hurts a bit every now and again when the weather changes." Naruto nodded, skating a bit faster and passing her up as they came to the end of the rink, easily making the turn and dodging the still trundling Zamboni. Hinata turned to skate forward again, watching the way Naruto made his turns. "You played hockey, didn't you, Naruto?"

Now, he turned, skating backward in front of her, a stunned look on his face. "How did you know?"

Smiling, she said, "You skate aggressively. Stopping and starting quickly, leaning on your edges. It's easy to see." He nodded and watched the Zamboni leave the ice. Music flooded the place, the incessant beat of Panic! At the Disco's _'There's A Good Reason Why These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought Of It Yet'_ echoed through the enormous space. Naruto skated faster, getting a little ahead, until he stopped suddenly, causing Hinata to dodge sideways, but he caught her wrist, and she shifted her weight to keep from falling. This made her skate an awkward circle around him.

And then they were skating circles around each other, almost like some kind of medieval dance at breakneck pace, backward and forward, until the song finished, and they stopped short, breathing hard. They resumed their circuit of the rink, side by side now. _'Arittake no Ai de' _by Gackt started to play, and Hinata started swaying as she skated. It was one of her favorites. From the corner of her eye, she saw Naruto mouthing the words. He like it too, apparently. After a few moments, they were both actually singing (Naruto was really belting it out) and randomly clapping offbeat, because of the odd timing.

Hinata dissolved into a fit of giggles and just watched Naruto, who was currently skating random patterns and clapping while he sang a bit softer. Soon, her knees wouldn't support her, and she fell onto her backside on the ice, the cold soaking in through her clothing. When the song finished, Naruto slid to a stop on his knees, landing just in front of her. He was panting a bit as he said, "Not bad, eh?" Hinata only giggled harder, holding her stomach, with tears starting to gather in her eyes. Scooting closer, and laughing as well, Naruto teased, "Are you okay? Do you need me to get help?"

Her voice was breathless as she said, "No, I'm fine. Just don't do anything silly for a bit, or I might hurt myself."

"Okay," his voice came out a little gruff from exerting himself in the funniest way possible, and he suddenly seemed a lot closer than he had before. Hinata abruptly stopped laughing. One of Naruto's hands came up to move away a bit of hair that had fallen into her face, and he smiled a little, as if to himself. His eyes moved over her face slowly, taking it in, and Hinata felt him lace his fingers through the hair at the side of her face. Her heart was beating so fast now…as if it would jump right out of her chest. Naruto was closer now, and she felt his breath on her face. It was a small, hesitant kiss, when their lips met. He pulled away quickly, and said, "Sorry…"

"No," she answered quietly, "it's fine…" His eyes seemed as if they lit up from the inside, and Hinata held in a laugh. "Silly--" she said before he unexpectedly kissed her again, his hand now sliding to the back of her head, mouth pressing a bit more firmly against hers. When he finally pulled back, Hinata discovered that he fingers were tangled in the front of his jacket. Her stomach gave that little jump again, and she could feel her face heating up as she forced herself to let go of him.

"Hehe…" He laughed nervously, still very close to her face, "…I…um…" It was adorable the way he stammered, really, but it might be nice if he could actually _speak_.

"Yes?" She asked, trying to get him back into a somewhat normal frame of mind. Naruto usually had no trouble talking her ear off, but now he seemed unable to form a coherent sentence.

He swallowed audibly, gave one more tense chuckle, and said, "I guess I don't have to tell you how I…I really like you, Hinata." She sighed a little, and put her arms around his neck to hug him like she wanted to earlier. He returned the embrace, and pulled them both to their feet. Then, they started skating back to the area where they came into the rink. It was really very strange how at ease she felt at the moment. Shouldn't there be at least a little bit of awkwardness? But all there really was, Hinata realized, was a smile on her face that did not want to go away.

* * *

**Chapter End Notes:**  
**A/N:** Naru/Hina fans can rejoice now. One person complained that it hadn't shown up yet, so I figured I should at least throw you guys a bone. Hehe. That's not to say that it will end up being that way in the end. I'm not saying either way. So I hope you enjoyed the chapter. 

1) 57,000 yen is just under $500.00 American.


	6. Chapter 6: Outed?

**A/N: **Okay. I must apologize to you all. I know you all have been waiting ages for this chapter...but really, I'm getting better, I swear. Just as a recap...last chapter, Naruto kissed Hinata. She was a little confused, but seemed happy. Guess we'll see if that lasts, yeah? Anyway, thank you all for being patient with me! Virtual hugs for everyone! With the exception of flamers that didn't pay attention to the pairings. Geesh. I wish you wouldn't review if you just have a stupid comment about the fact that you don't like the pairs I choose. Don't like? Don't read.

* * *

**Chapter 6:** Outed?

December 8

_Well. I got home tonight, and Neji was here. Not that big of a surprise. It also wasn't surprising that I couldn't even tell that a horde of people went through my apartment, and that there were now cameras in so many places that there was little chance of even showering without being caught on tape. But what **was** the shock of the century was that Sasuke was here too, and he was getting along with Neji. Not only do I find that difficult to believe, but it's also slightly creepy._

_Something's got to be going on. I mean, the entire world is backwards. I've got crazy people stalking me, and enough surveillance equipment sending off radio waves in my apartment to probably fry my brain. Then, there's how everyone has been acting._

_I kind of expect bipolar behavior from Sasuke. Sometimes I wonder if he has a split personality that just hasn't been diagnosed. He can be so decent, almost sweet…and then he'll turn around and say something that makes me want to slap him. Naruto, on the other hand, is usually a really steady, normal kind of guy. A little hyper at times, but otherwise normal. I thought that he'd been acting funny, and today I found out why. He 'likes' me. _

_He's really sweet, and fun to be around, but he's…Naruto. Something about him just makes me think of what I would have wanted in a brother if I had one. I don't know. I just feel really confused. It felt nice when he kissed me, and I kind of was happier after. Gah! Why does this have to happen now? Why could it not have happened last year, when I was sane, and didn't have violent creeps sending me dead animals? _

_I even told him that I'm not sure how I feel about him. Naruto was really understanding about the whole thing, but I could tell he was disappointed. It's just tough to think of someone that's so…bubbly in a romantic way. Don't get me wrong. He's absolutely adorable, and I love his eyes. But there's just this voice in the back of my head that keeps telling me that there are so **many** reasons not to entertain such an idea. Let's see. He's my editor, and it might affect the way we work together. He's just really freaking happy all of the time, and I am **very **not. I don't know. It's just weird._

_Not that it's any easier to regard Uchiha Sasuke in that manner. He drives me nuts. There are some ways that he reminds me a lot of Neji. And in that way, it would be like I was dating Neji, but not, because they're completely different. But the chances of that happening are slim to none, aren't they? He just enjoys annoying the hell out of me and bossing me around. It might even have become his new mission in life!_

_Oh, no. Now I'm babbling._

_Maybe I should stop._

* * *

Life had become very complicated, very quickly. There were just too many things that needed to be done, too many problems to be solved. Hinata now felt as if she needed a bodyguard. What if…what if she went to the coffee shop and Daito was there, waiting around some corner? But then again, there were far too many people that stuck their noses into her life at the moment as it was. Did she really need a bodyguard, whose job would be to do exactly that? Neji had appointed himself dictator of Hinata-land, it seemed. Naruto…well, he was another story.

Having thought hard for a very long time, and being up half of the previous night after her daily gripe session with her journal, Hinata really thought that the poor man was more confused than anything else. Naruto was exceedingly sweet. Really, he was. But he couldn't possibly like her as much as he seemed to think he did. His behavior was very much like that of an elder brother being protective of his naïve younger sister. And really, she had come to think of him that way as well.

It was nice to have the kind of attention she was receiving, though. She wasn't about to lie to herself about that. Being a woman who had been overlooked for most of her life, passed over and ignored, it felt good for a man to look at her and see _her_. Even if the two men that were giving her this attention were rather high-handed in their protectiveness…

Hinata stared at her computer screen, which was now blank. Her screen-saver kicked in, letting her know that it had been a good five minutes since she had written anything. Grumbling to herself, she got up to make herself a cup of tea. Honestly, she was becoming more of a space-cadet every day. Before she made it out of the room, she heard her computer buzz.

Crossing the room back toward the desk, Hinata looked at the sheet of paper that Neji had given her with the instructions for checking the different cameras. There was a small icon in the bottom tray of the screen, resembling a pair of binoculars, and she used this to open up the surveillance program. Hinata chose the camera that was stationed at the front door of the building, surprised to see her little sister standing there.

There was now a boom microphone set up on the desk, which was attached to the intercom system of the building. Hinata held down the 'control' button on the keyboard before pressing the 'T', and said, "Come right up, Hanabi." Another few keystrokes opened up the door, and she went to her bedroom to throw on some clothes. Her family was still unused to seeing her lounging about in her pajamas at all hours of the day and night. Hinata had just finished slipping on a pair of socks when the doorbell rang.

The video screen that was stealthily hidden behind a mirror to the right-hand side of the door showed that it was indeed her sister, and she was alone. The younger woman was fidgeting slightly, which was more than a little strange. The deadbolt slid open under Hinata's fingers, and she pulled the door open, stepping aside so that Hanabi could enter.

Her sister was about an inch taller than Hinata, and of a slender build, making her seem much more delicate than she was. Her pale eyes seemed not to light upon any one thing for too long. What could she be so agitated about? "I'm sorry for not calling before I came over," Hanabi murmured, stepping over the threshold, "but I thought I should come in person…" None of this boded well. Hanabi was usually so calm, poised and elegant. She was the very picture of the serenity that their mother had tried to instill in them both. But at the moment, she looked…_paranoid._

Clearing her throat lightly, Hinata gently took her sister by the elbow, her fingers sinking into the plush velvet of the younger woman's blazer. "Why don't you sit down, and I'll make some tea?" She kept her voice gentle, so that she would not frighten or upset Hanabi any further. Gingerly guiding her sister forward, Hinata pressed her into a seat on the burnt orange sofa. "I'll be back in a moment, all right?" The distracted nod she got in reply made her worry. She went to the kitchen, looking over her shoulder at the back of Hanabi's head as she approached the door. Now, her old habit of biting her lip was starting to come back, and Hinata had to make a conscious effort to stop it.

Unsure of what might be bothering her sister, Hinata moved around the kitchen with mechanical ease, her mind occupied with unsettling thoughts. It occurred to her that she might actually be worrying needlessly as she pulled the kettle out of the cabinet. Hanabi had been, as a little girl, very nervous and easily agitated. Though Hinata had not had much close contact with her sister in the past five or so years, she was sure that such a large part of the woman's character could not have completely vanished. Whatever the case, she thought that it might be wise to prepare _two_ cups of chamomile tea, and not just one.

Ten minutes later, she returned to the living room with a steaming pot of sweetly scented tea, the honey-pot, spoons, and two cups arranged neatly on a tray. Setting these down on the rich, cinnamon-colored wooden coffee table, Hinata poured Hanabi a half-full cup, and then dropped a dollop of honey into it before filling it the rest of the way. Stirring the hot liquid carefully, she asked gently, "Now, what is the matter, Hananbi?"

Taking the offered cup, her younger sister smiled at her distractedly. "How did you remember how I make my tea?"

Hanabi was being evasive, which was unlike her. Usually, she got straight to the point, with no messing about. But because she was so highly agitated, Hinata returned her smile warmly, and said, "It's tough to forget those kinds of things. I lost count of how many times I made tea for you before I moved out." Finally seating herself opposite her sister on the couch, Hinata once again inquired as to the object of Hanabi's anxiety.

"Have you spoken to Neji today?"

The question caught Hinata so off guard that she blurted, "Pardon?"

Hanabi took a sip of her tea before saying, "I just came from Neji's office. He's about to have a melt-down. Something big is happening over there, and he didn't want me to tell you."

Hinata's eyes narrowed, and she frowned as she poured her own cup. "Big…how big?"

Pursing her lips slightly, Hanabi looked at her appraisingly. "It's big enough that Tenten nearly bit my head off when I asked her what was going on. You know how she picks up his moods." That much, Hinata knew was true. The woman was, after working for Neji for so long, keenly attuned to the fluctuations of temper that he often went through. She thought it a shame that he did not have the same talent for his secretary's moods, or Neji might be a happier man. Tenten had a temper, which had the tendency to flare at unexpected times.

Finally taking a sip of her tea, Hinata thought. What could have her cousin in such an agitated state? There was no way of knowing. "If he did not want you to tell me," she asked gently, "then why are you here now?"

At this question, Hanabi's posture went from stiff to limp. Slumping, she looked into her tea, turning the cup in her hands. "I…I thought you had a right to know. Something is wrong, Hinata. It might be in your best interest if…if you confronted him about it." Confusion creased Hinata's forehead, and Hanabi quickly tried to reassure her. "It is not something _he_ is doing. I'm pretty sure I heard one of the aides talking about that old man with the white hair. Jiraiya. Something about a press conference."

A stab of fear shot through Hinata's stomach. Without realizing what her body was doing, she stood up and started pacing between the couch and the kitchen hallway. "A press conference…I have no idea what it could be about." Then an idea entered her mind. Smiling, she said, "Will you excuse me for just a moment?" Hanabi nodded, and she leaned back in her seat. Hinata walked quickly over to where the telephone was stationed on the far wall. It was a matter of seconds before the thing was ringing, and a voice came through the receiver.

"Hello?" the bored female voice said.

"Please tell Uchiha-san that Hyuuga Hinata is on the line for him." She kept her voice level and cool, thankful for all of the years of practice she'd had with her grandmother. Only five seconds later, Sasuke was on the line.

Sounding a little agitated, he said, "Hinata? What's wrong?"

For half an instant, Hinata was almost sorry for doing what she was about to. After all, Sasuke was—deep, deep down—a decent person. But if this was the only way to get information they didn't want to give her, then she would do it and the consequences be damned. "Sasuke," she said in a dangerously sweet tone, "I just heard an unconfirmed rumor…something about a press conference?" There was a long, tense silence. "Well? You know Jiraiya, and you know how he operates. What's he up to?"

* * *

Sasuke took a moment to close his eyes and inhale deeply. The tone in Hinata's voice was a little scary. It was all but venomous, and somehow reminded him of being poked in the middle of his chest. Wondering how much he could lie and still get away with it, Sasuke bit at his bottom lip. On one hand, Jiraiya had not authorized him to talk about the fact that the company had been planning to present Hinata publicly in about a month and a half. Then again…if she knew about it, Hinata would be better able to deal with the situation. If they just sprung it on her, then she might just dig her heels in and flatly refuse.

The present circumstances, however, had caused the date of the press conference to be moved, and _that _event was certainly something she needed to be aware of. After considering things for another moment, he just opened his mouth and told the truth.

"Are you sitting down?" Sasuke asked, fiddling with a pen.

There was a short silence, followed by a sound like a chair scraping across flooring. "Yes."

Nodding, and yet knowing that the woman could not hear it, he said, "Good. Now, Hinata, I hope that you won't be too upset with Neji. He's trying to protect you." Hinata made an affirmative noise that also sounded annoyed. "The newspaper division of the company received a phone call last night from one of the tabloids. Jiraiya is very good friends with the woman that runs that trash rag. She told him that a man has offered to sell his story to them, and he's identified himself as a 'close personal friend' of Hester Aldridge. They're pretty sure it's Daito, and he's going to out you."

"Excuse me?" Her voice was an almost inaudible whisper. He knew that voice. She was about to faint.

"Hinata? Are you all right?" He heard nothing for a long moment, and then another voice came over the phone.

"Sasuke?" Hanabi's throaty voice asked.

"Yeah." He knew what she was going to say.

"Um…she passed out." Hanabi sounded exasperated. "I'm going to put her to bed, but I have to get back to the office or my father will have an aneurysm." Sasuke tried to tell her what was going on, but she stopped him. "I don't want to know. That's between you and Hinata and Konoha Publishing. I'm just her sister, Sasuke." While he understood what she was trying to say, he certainly did not agree with it. Hanabi did not understand Hinata well enough to help her deal with this particular problem.

Quickly, Sasuke flipped through the pages of his date book. He had only one more appointment for the day, but that man didn't really need to come in until the next week. After one more deep breath, Sasuke said, "Can you stay there for another twenty minutes? I'm going to take off of work for the rest of the day, so when I get there, you can go back to the Hyuuga building. Okay?" Once she agreed, he bid her goodbye and hung up the phone.

* * *

When Hinata woke up, it was to the smell of tea. Her eyes cracked open, and she saw the white ceiling of her bedroom, then looked to the left. On the small ebony night-table, there was a steaming cup of tea. In a chair next to the table was Sasuke, and he looked very…different. She had not really seen him since he got back from wherever he'd gone, but he certainly did look worse for wear. There were dark circles beneath his eyes, and his white dress shirt was slightly rumpled, the sleeves rolled up almost to the elbow. The dark blue tie he wore was loosened, the top two buttons of his shirt undone. It was far from the vision of icy perfection he that Uchiha Sasuke usually presented.

Strangely, Hinata found that he actually looked human. This was perhaps a truer view of him than his usual appearance. From seeing him this way, she thought she could better understand him. Very like herself, he was tired, most likely stressed out, and quite harassed. Hinata tried to sit up, using her arms to lever herself into a seated position. This, however, proved to be rather difficult, since Sasuke had his hands on her shoulders the moment she stirred. He was pushing her back onto her pillow, frowning. "Lie down, stupid. You don't just pass out and then get back up."

Rolling her eyes, she grumped, "Fine."

"Your sister let me in," he explained, even though Hinata had surmised as much already. Dark eyes shut momentarily, and a pale hand scrubbed through his already unruly hair. "I was really worried about you, Hinata." It seemed to take a lot out of him just to say that, and she could see it in his eyes when he finally opened them. He picked up the cup on the night table, sipping from it lightly. For a moment, she thought he might need more than just a little caffeine.

"Sasuke, why don't you go home and rest? I'm fine now and—"

Black eyes trained on her in a glare that promised retribution. "I am fine, Hinata. You, on the other hand, are not." She tried to sit up, but he pushed her back. Now, she was beginning to get angry. Another attempt to sit up earned her a hand in the middle of her chest, and a bit of leverage. "Stay where you are."

Surprising even herself, Hinata pushed the covers away, and used both hands to shove his hand off of her chest. "Damn it, Sasuke! What is your problem? I'm fine! Why do you feel the need to treat me like I'm an invalid?" She sat up and threw the remaining covers off, getting to her feet and glaring down at the flabbergasted Uchiha. "I am a grown woman, and you'd better start treating me like one!" His mouth hung open for a moment, and she thought that she preferred him this way.

Already thin lips compressed into a bloodless line. Sasuke's face darkened until it became nothing short of a thunderhead. Suddenly, he shot up from his chair, towering over her and making every centimeter of his height count. "Look here woman," he growled, leaning over her in an obvious attempt at intimidation, "I've stuck my neck out for you in ways that you can't _begin_ to comprehend, and this is the gratitude I get?" His eyes narrowed, anger clouding them. "You are the most insufferable…mule-headed…gragh!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration.

Hinata blinked up at him in confusion. What on earth was he talking about? Sasuke turned away from her, picking up his cup and saucer. He walked quickly from the room, leaving her there next to her bed, standing and gaping at the open doorway. Unable to stop herself, she ran after him. He was going to explain himself, if it was the last thing he did. By the time she got to the kitchen, he had already unrolled his sleeves and was replacing cufflinks. He slipped back into his suit jacket and walked over to where she stood, just in front of the door. "Move."

"No," she said, planting her feet.

"I said move, Hinata." He was deadly serious now, his eyes full of what looked like righteous anger.

"And _I_ said no. I'm not moving until you tell me what the hell you were talking about back there." Suddenly, Sasuke looked as if he'd been struck across the face. His eyes were wide, and his mouth popped open.

After a long moment, during which neither moved or spoke, Sasuke pressed his lips together. Then, it all came out in horrifyingly clear, eloquent speech. He told her everything; from how he'd made sure his brother did not hit on her, to exactly what he had done when he disappeared for nearly two days, to how he had blown off clients and work and responsibility…all for her. Hinata blinked, confusion settling over her like a fog. Her head began to shake slowly from side to side. He was not serious. He couldn't be. Sasuke had gone and made a deal with the yakuza? He'd all but threatened a member of his own family? None of it made any sense. If he had really done all of that, then there must be a reason for it.

She couldn't stop the question as it tumbled from her lips. "Why?"

A crease formed between his eyebrows, and his mouth formed a frown. "Don't make me answer you, Hinata." He tried to step around her, but she moved into his way once again, looking at him expectantly. "Let me by."

"Not until you tell me why you put yourself in harm's way for me. You don't strike me as the kind of person that would wake up a yakuza boss, risking dismemberment or worse, for just anyone." That was a bit of an understatement, Hinata thought. She had not figured him for the type to do anything like that at all. He simply stood there, looming, for a few seconds, and did not say anything. "Why?" she heard herself asking, "Why would you do that for me? I haven't done anything for you…I never asked for anything from you. All I have done is tell you how much you annoy me…"

Vaguely, Hinata could feel tears forming in her eyes, slipping down her cheeks. Unable to understand exactly why she was crying, she turned away from him. The last thing she wanted was to see a look of pity on Sasuke's face. "If you need to go, then go." She used the back of her sleeve to wipe her eyes, and moved from the door. "I'm not stopping you."

Silence filled the space between them, and Hinata closed her eyes. Then she heard his footsteps. They did not retreat, but moved closer. A hand on her shoulder gave her a start, but not so much as when Sasuke said gently, "Don't cry for me, Hinata. I'm not worth it."

Those words made her suddenly angry again, and she turned toward him, eyes filled with sharp fury and dull fear. "And you think _I'm_ worth getting killed for? What the hell is wrong with you?" Hinata shoved his chest, causing him to stumble backward, against a bank of cabinets. Astonished by her outburst, his mouth opened and closed like that of a fish. "Answer me, Sasuke!"

"God damn you, woman." Sasuke groused as he regained his footing, "_Yes_, I thought at the time that you were well worth getting killed for. And no, I do not think that I am worth crying over, so stop it right _now_. I swear to all the gods that half of the time I don't know what to do with you. I don't know if I should shake some sense into you, or kiss you until you haven't got any left!" Hinata could not believe what she was hearing. Sasuke did not just say that…did he?

Sasuke suddenly seemed very close. Had he been there all along, and she just had not noticed? He was so close, she could feel his body heat. Feeling awkward, she asked in a small voice, "And what about right now?" Yes, maybe he was a little _too_ close.

"Right now?" he repeated, a far-off expression creeping into his eyes, "Right now, I'm thinking you're still worth getting killed…" Hinata took in a rasping breath. He wasn't finished. "Right now," she felt a hand take hers, squeezing gently, "I'm thinking it might be nice if I manage kissing you…without you slapping me."

Hinata shook her head. "I wouldn't slap you," she said quietly. "I'm not sure why I wouldn't…but I wouldn't."

Sasuke started to lean down toward her, but stopped. "Can I, then? Can I kiss you?"

She was sure that this was a bad idea…

So many things could go wrong…

"Yes…"

Sasuke smiled, one of those rare, real smiles that had the power to renew Hinata's faith in humanity and make her insides go all mushy. And then that smile was touching her mouth, his lips soft yet still firm, and a little demanding. None of it felt foreign to her, though, which was strangely okay with Hinata. For a brief moment, she thought that this was more than just a kiss. This was more like Sasuke was trying to say something without words.

What that something might be, she wasn't sure. But the strange fear she'd felt at the thought that something bad might happen to him was gone now. Simple and brief, the kiss ended with the odd feeling that something was missing, but also left a kind of warmth in Hinata's chest that had not been there previously. Dark hair was tickling her cheeks as he remained as he was. The air in the room had grown heavy with things that remained unsaid, and when Sasuke pulled back from her mouth, both of them seemed dazed. A sense of unreality hung around the entire situation. What had happened here?

"Sasuke—" she began, but stopped herself. Hinata looked at him intently, now fully aware that he was just as unnerved by this new development. Instead of questioning the meaning of what was happening, she closed her eyes and laid her head against his chest. His heart was pounding as they stood in the kitchen, Hinata pressed against him, and Sasuke dangling in indecision.

* * *

How? How had open hostility turned into…whatever this thing was between them? He wanted to put his arms around her. Sasuke wanted to hold her, to promise that everything would be all right, because it _had_ to be. He wanted more than anything right then to soothe away Hinata's fears, to frighten away the demons that plagued her. But instead of doing what he wanted, he merely stood there lamely, frozen to the spot like a stiff scarecrow on a pole. Hinata's face rubbed against his shirtfront slightly, and then she looked up at him. Her pale eyes missed nothing, scrutinizing him and making him feel suddenly uncomfortable. But then something happened…something so unexpected that the wind was knocked out of him as surely as if he'd been kicked. Hinata smiled at him, very slowly, and with terrifying clarity, he watched as every defense and wall he'd erected around his life came tumbling down.

* * *

She nearly gasped when Sasuke's arms wrapped around her, his head bending down to press against her hair. Wordless murmurs of comfort soothed her more than she had ever thought possible, and Hinata felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. There was a strange sensation coming over her body now, as if she were falling from a great height. Unable to explain it, and unsure she wanted to know from whence it had come, she pushed it to one side to be examined later.

After long moments, she asked, her voice half-muffled against his shirt, "You're not still leaving, are you?"

"Not if you don't want me to."

Hinata smiled into the partially rumpled Egyptian cotton of his dress-shirt, and shook her head. "No," she replied quietly, "I don't want you to go."

**A/N: **Just as a warning, the next one might be a while. I'm adjusting to new living conditions.


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